Chhattisgarh procures record paddy this kharif season

Raipur,  Nearly 98 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of paddy was procured from farmers in Chhattisgarh at minimum support price (MSP) in the current kharif season, which is the highest the state has seen since its formation in 2000, an official said on Tuesday.

The state had procured 97.97 LMT of paddy at MSP till Monday, the last day of the two-month-long procurement drive, the official from the state public relations department said.

The state had procured 92 LMT of paddy during the kharif marketing season (KMS) in 2020-21, while in 2019-20, it had purchased 83.94 LMT and 80.37 LMT in 2018-19, he said.

As many as 21,77,283 farmers have sold their paddy at MSP in the current season, while this figure was 20,53,600 in the last season, the official said.

“Completing the paddy procurement without any interruption, despite the shortage of jute gunny sacks and untimely rainfall, is a remarkable achievement in itself,” he said.

The procurement drive, which began on December 1 last year, was scheduled to end on January 31, but on the direction of Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, it was extended till February 7 considering the interest of farmers who could not sell their produce due to untimely rains in December and January, a government release said.

Under the Rajiv Gandhi Kisan Nyay Yojna, the state government has been providing cash benefits as input support to farmers for paddy and other crops.

The state’s Food Secretary Topeshwar Verma has said that 65.43 LMT of the total procured paddy has so far been transported for custom milling.

After the custom milling, 9.47 LMT of rice was deposited with the Food Corporation of India and 7.66 LMT was sent to the state civil supply corporation, the official said. PTI