Paddy procurement in UP to start from Oct 1 with 48-hour payment directive

The Uttar Pradesh government will commence paddy procurement across the state starting October 1 and payments to farmers will be processed within 48 hours of the sale.

The process will roll out in phases, beginning in western Uttar Pradesh and extending to the eastern districts later in the month, according to an official statement issued here on Monday.

Procurement will start on October 1 in the districts of Hardoi, Lakhimpur Kheri and Sitapur. It will be followed by procurement in Lucknow, Rae Bareli and Unnao from November 1, among others, the statement added.

"Paddy procurement will continue until January 31, covering various districts including Meerut, Saharanpur, Moradabad, Bareilly, Agra, Aligarh and Jhansi," it stated.

The minimum support price (MSP) for paddy has been set at Rs 2,300 per quintal, while the price for grade A paddy stood at Rs 2,320 per quintal.

Additionally, farmers will receive a reimbursement of Rs 20 per quintal for unloading, sieving and cleaning their produce, it added.

To facilitate this extensive procurement process, the Food and Civil Supplies Department has established around 4,000 purchase centers statewide.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed that payments to farmers be processed within 48 hours of the sale, ensuring timely financial support, according to the statement.

"The Yogi government has directed that payments to farmers be processed within 48 hours," it added.

Registration for the paddy purchase scheme commenced on September 1, with approximately 32,000 farmers already registered within the first month.

The Agriculture Department estimates that the paddy cultivation area for the Kharif marketing year 2024-25 is 61.24 lakh hectares, with an anticipated production of 265.54 lakh metric tonnes and an average yield projected at 43.36 quintals per hectare.