 "Labourers plant saplings in a paddy field on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar")
Paddy procurement in Uttar Pradesh has slowed down with state agencies purchasing about 2.2 million tonnes (MT) of the cash crop till December 31 compared to 2.7 MT procured in the corresponding period last year.
The procurement is almost 20% lower this year and makes the government's target of acquiring 5 MT paddy in the current kharif marketing season difficult.
With 90 days of the total five months of paddy procurement in the October-February period gone, agencies will be hard pressed to achieve the remaining procurement of 2.8 MT in another 60 days.
Earlier, chief minister Yogi Adityanath had expressed
