Government agencies have procured over 7.28 lakh metric tonnes of paddy under the Kharif procurement season for 2024-25. During the previous season, by November 25, 2023, agencies had procured 5.79 lakh MT of paddy. The current season shows an additional 1.49 lakh metric tonnes have been purchased.

The agencies have paid Rs 1,464 crore to the farmers so far. The Food and Civil Supplies department is conducting regular inspections at procurement centres across districts to ensure smooth operations.

Additionally, payments to farmers are being processed within 48 hours. So far, paddy has been purchased from 105,439 farmers.

Recently, CM Yogi held a review meeting to assess the paddy procurement process. He instructed officials to ensure speed and transparency in the procurement and emphasised that farmers should receive payments within 48 hours. He also directed regular reviews of the process. To date, Rs 1,464 crore has been paid to farmers.

The CM further instructed that basic facilities like seating, shade, and drinking water should be provided at procurement centres. Following these instructions, the local administration and the Food and Civil Supplies department have been conducting regular inspections of the procurement centres, with headquarters also monitoring the process.

In western Uttar Pradesh, paddy procurement began on October 1 and will continue until January 31, 2025. During this period, paddy is being purchased in Bareilly, Moradabad, Saharanpur, Agra, Aligarh, Meerut, Jhansi, and Lucknow divisions, including Hardoi, Sitapur, and Lakhimpur Kheri.

Similarly, in eastern Uttar Pradesh, paddy procurement started on November 1 and will continue until February 28.

Procurement is running smoothly in Ayodhya, Gorakhpur, Basti, Devipatan, Azamgarh, Varanasi, Vindhyachal, Prayagraj, Kanpur, Chitrakoot, Lucknow, Rae Bareli and Unnao districts of the Lucknow division.

The government has set the support price for paddy at Rs 2,300 per quintal and Rs 2,320 per quintal for Grade A paddy. Farmers are also being reimbursed Rs 20 per quintal for activities such as threshing, cleaning, and sorting.

A total of 4,215 procurement centres have been set up by the Food and Civil Supplies department and other agencies across Uttar Pradesh for farmers to sell their paddy.

These centres are operational from 9 am to 5 pm. This year, sharecropper farmers are also registering and renewing their details to sell their paddy.

To ensure farmers do not face any issues, a toll-free helpline number, 18001800150, has been set up. Farmers can contact this number for assistance.

Additionally, they can reach out to district food marketing officers, regional marketing officers at the tehsil level, or block marketing inspectors to address any issues or complaints.