The Food and Civil Supplies department procured around 46.50 lakh metric tons (LMT) of paddy from over seven lakh farmers in the ongoing Kharif paddy procurement season.
Reviewing the progress of paddy procurement in the state, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directed officials to ensure that the farmers got the minimum support price (MSP) for their produce and warned against any slackness on this count.
During a review meeting, the chief minister directed officials to ensure that every farmer got the benefit and utmost transparency was maintained in the procurement process, eliminating middlemen.
“In the ongoing Kharif Marketing Season 2021-22, the government agencies have purchased a total of 46.50 lakh MT of paddy, benefitting over 7,17,097 farmers in the state. The payment is being made within 72 hours of the purchase directly to bank accounts of the farmers. The worth of the Kharif paddy procured so far is Rs 8,760.04 crore. A total of 4,602 paddy purchasing centres have been set up across the state to procure the crop from the farmers,” Food and Civil Supplies Commissioner Sorabh Babu said.
Stating that the procurement process in the state had been expedited, Babu said that the farmers need not worry about their crop since the government was ready to purchase their entire produce. He said the process of paddy procurement was being conducted smoothly in the state.
“Arrangements have been made to ensure farmers are not harassed by middlemen. Strict monitoring is being done to make the process smooth. The chief minister has given instructions to ensure smooth purchase of the crop and directed the key officers, including ADMs, SDMs, tehsildars, to monitor the purchase by conducting on-site inspections of the purchase centres,” the official said.