Paddy Chhattisgarh

Paddy procurement in the state started on December 1 and would continue till February 15

The huge stocks of paddy that the farmers had maintained for selling were reportedly damaged following heavy rains in the state the past three days

Over 700,000 tonnes of the crop arrived in a week. State has till date disbursed Rs 7,000 cr to farmers, who will be paid Rs 1,815 a quintal for common grade and Rs 1,835 for A-grade produce

Congress govt in the state had been mounting pressure on Centre to allow procurement at a higher price

Central govt rejects state demand saying norms can't be changed only for Chhattisgarh just to accommodate the higher procurement price it was paying farmmers for paddy

The new industrial policy has also given stress to produce petrol from paddy

Chhattisgarh has set a target of procuring 7.5 million tonnes in the current kharif marketing season

An awareness drive for the farmers is also on the card