Paddy procurement picks up pace in Chhattisgarh; 25% of target covered

In the first 28 days of the paddy procurement drive, the Chhattisgarh government has bought over 25 per cent of the stock against the target of 16 million tonnes (MT) set for the current Kharif Marketing Season.

 

“As of now, 4.57 million tonnes (MT) of paddy has been purchased in the state,” a state government spokesperson said, adding that an amount of Rs 10,001 crore has been disbursed to farmers through direct benefit transfer. 

 

Farmers get Rs 2,300 for a quintal of paddy, the difference amount of Rs 800 being paid later as input subsidy. Paddy milling was being carried out simultaneously along with lifting. About 865 applications have been received from millers for registration, and 252 rice millers have enrolled, the spokesperson said.  

 

To facilitate the procurement that began on November 15, 2,739 centers have been set up. So far, out of the 2,768,000 farmers who got themselves registered for the process, 680,000 farmers have sold their yield. Of the 400,000 bundles of gunny bags, 351,000 have been made available, while the remaining would be delivered within a fortnight. Surplus paddy was being taken to the nearest collection centers. So far, transport orders for 250,000 tonnes of paddy have been issued, said the spokesperson.

 

Leveraging technology, farmers can now book a token via a mobile app. Those, not familiar, can ask for help at the procurement centres. About 40 per cent of the total token applications have been reserved for booking at the procurement centres, while 60 per cent were kept for apps. Farmers with small and marginal land holdings can avail a set of tokens, while those with large land holdings benefit from the other lot, the government spokesperson said.