State Govt to procure 35000 MT paddy from farmers says Sushanta Chowdhury
The state government has set a target to procure at least 35,000 Metric Tonnes (MT) of paddy directly from the farmers, starting from July 11. Minister for food and civil supplies Sushanta Chowdhury on Monday chaired a high level review meeting here at the secretariat through video conferencing with the officials of the concerned departments.
During the meeting the minister said that the department along with the state agriculture department is jointly working to directly purchase 35,000 metric tonnes of paddy from farmers during the current Rabi season, beginning from July 11. The procurement will be made at a minimum support price of Rs 2, 040 per quintal, he said.
As part of the process of procurement, at least 40 centres will be opened across the state, where a single farmer can sell up-to 50 quintals of paddy.
The minister has instructed the officials to ensure that farmers are not harassed in any way while selling paddy and also to keep a close watch to ensure that farmers are not forced to sell paddy at less than the minimum support price.
Special Secretary Raval Hemendra Kumar, Director of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department Sharadindu Das, Additional Director Animesh Debbarma, among other officials were present in the meeting.
