23.39 lakh farmers have sold paddy
Payment of more than 22 thousand crore rupees made to farmers
89 lakh metric tonnes of paddy lifted by millers for custom milling
Raipur, TNINS
Under the leadership of Chief Minister Mr. Bhupesh Baghel, the campaign of paddy procurement, which started from November 1, 2022, is continuing in full swing. The figure of paddy procured in the state has crossed a record-breaking mark of 107 lakh metric tonnes so far. Tomorrow, January 31, is the last day for paddy purchase. So far 23.39 lakh farmers of the state have sold their paddy produce in lieu of which, 22 thousand crore rupees have been released by The Chhattisgarh State Cooperative Marketing Federation (MARKFED) to Apex Bank.
It is worth mentioning that like last year, this year too, paddy procurement is going on continuously along with paddy procurement for custom milling. So far, out of the total 107 lakh metric tonnes of paddy procured, DO has been issued for the lifting of about 96 lakh metric tonnes of paddy, against which more than 89 lakh metric tonnes of paddy has been lifted by the millers. Officials of the Food Department informed that on January 30, more than 23 thousand tonnes of paddy has been procured from 6,905 farmers and 2000 tonnes of paddy has been purchased from the farmers through tokens obtained online.
This year, 24.98 lakh farmers have been registered in the state, including about 2.32 lakh new farmers. In order to make it convenient for farmers to sell paddy, 135 new procurement centers were started in the state this year, taking the total number of procurement centers in the state to 2,617. Normal paddy is being bought at the rate of Rs 2040 per quintal and grade-A paddy at Rs 2060 per quintal. A strict vigil is being kept on the system of paddy procurement in the state. Goods carriers are being regularly checked at check posts to prevent illegal transportation of paddy from Border States. The state government has set a target of procuring about 110 lakh metric tonnes of paddy from the registered farmers of the state this year. Due to the constant increase in the frequency of farmers and the arrival of paddy in paddy procurement centers, the paddy procurement figures will exceed the estimated mark.
