About 49.95 lakh metric tonnes of paddy was procured till Tuesday by the Co-operative Societies’ procurement centres across Chhattisgarh, officials stated. Notably, the State Government under the Minimum Support Price has started procuring paddy from December 1, 2014 to the end of January this year.
The minimum support price for the common paddy is Rs1360 and for Grade-A paddy is Rs1400 per quintal. According to official data, this year, paddy crop has been sown in an area of about 37.80 lakh hectare which is about 20,000 hectares more than last year.
In 2013 also, the State had received good rainfall which yielded copious harvest. Farmers are hopeful that this year also paddy produce will be more than sufficient. Apart from paddy, other kharif crops like soybean is also expected to yield well this year.
Mainly paddy is cultivated in Dhamtari, Janjgir, Raipur, Durg and Rajnandgaon districts. In 2013, the State had seen produce of about 1.10 crore metric tonnes of paddy, out of which around 75 lakh metric ton was purchased by State Government on support price. Remaining crop was sold in open market or in Agriculture Produce Marketing Yards. The jump in sowing area by 20,000 hectares increased hope of a bumper reap during the Kharif season.