JK govt to come out with 'farmer-friendly' procurement policy

With aim to give fillip to the agriculture sector, the Jammu and Kashmir government is planning to come up with a newfarmer-friendly procurement policy to help the farming community get maximum return for their produce.
State Minister for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs ((FCSCA)), Chowdhary Zulfkar Ali today said "the government is in process of framing new farmer friendlyProcurement Policy to boost agriculture activities in the state."
He was addressing locals after inaugurating a paddy procurement mandi at Kathua, where farmers would sell their produce directly to Food Corporation of India(FCI).
Around 5 places have been chosen in Kathua for procurement of paddy this year, he said adding farmers had to go through a lot of hardships to sell their produce at appropriate price as they had no platform to sell the same. FCSCA Department is providing them an opportunity to get maximum return of their harvest.

In absence of proper procurement facility, farmers were being fleeced by the middleman, he said.
The minister further said new procurement policy will be designed with integrated approach enabling the farmers tohave easy access to the government established procurement centres/mandis/market at shortest possible distance.

Proper calendar will also be issued for operating these mandies about which the local farmers would be informed well in advance, he added.
The minister also called upon farmers to come with best quality food grains as it would be distributed to state rationees. There will be no compromise on quality of the food grains.
Terming market intervention as a necessary step, the minister said in the present era of rapid industrialisation, the contribution of agriculture sector in GDP is declining which is a sign of worry.

He said there is a need to revisit the mechanism of procurement so that farmers can be encouraged to carry on with the agriculture activities and get maximum returns due to pro farmer policies of the government.