State seeks funds for minimum support price it will pay to farmers, guarantees interest on loan.
Farmers put up a road blockade on two highways in Ambala district on Wednesday to protest alleged non-procurement of paddy at the designated centres by government agencies
Agitating farmers raised slogans against the state government in Kurukshetra, Pipli, Pehowa and Ladwa
Centre on Tuesday said 16,420 tonnes of paddy worth Rs 31 crore has been procured at MSP in the last 72 hours from farmers in Punjab and Haryana, while procurement has just commenced in other states
Amid widespread farmers' protest against the new farm laws, the Centre on Monday came out with the latest data of paddy procurement in the last 48 hours to allay any apprehensions over the MSP buying
The official reason given by Centre is that procurement had to start early in the wake of early arrival of the kharif crop in the two states
According to the ministry, state procuring agencies including Food Corporation of India (FCI) are in a state of readiness for smoothly undertaking procurement operations
The chief minister made the announcement during a meeting held late this evening with heads of the Haryana State Grain Markets Association.
State's intervention provides interim platform for farmers to sell their Rabi produce at MSP and avoid distress sales when all market yards are shut
State govt agencies and FCI procure from over 700,000 farmers, including sharecroppers and contract farmers for the first time; Rs 9,000 cr paid to cultivators
Paddy procurement in the state started on December 1 and would continue till February 15
So far, UP has procured 4.2 MT with 8 weeks still left in 2019-20 kharif marketing season
State has paid farmers nearly Rs 7,250 cr for the crop so far; full-year procurement target set at 5 mn tonnes
State is targetting procurement of 5 mn tonnes of the crop by Feb 2020
Exporters hopeful of Iran market improving next year
The Bhupesh Baghel-led state government has locked horns with the Centre over procurement of paddy at Rs 2,500 a quintal, higher than the minimum support price
Congress govt in the state had been mounting pressure on Centre to allow procurement at a higher price
Lack of long term export policy, high costs making Indian rice uncompetitive
In the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the ruling BJP does not want to give any chance to the opposition parties to attack the Adityanath government over farm issues
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.