The government procurement campaign of paddy in Chhattisgarh has made significant progress, with nearly 9 lakh tonnes purchased by November 25, 2024.

Since its commencement on November 14, about 8.95 lakh tonnes of paddy have been procured from 1.91 lakh farmers, with Rs 1575.16 crore paid to them so far.

The procurement process is set to continue until January 31, 2025, and aims to purchase 160 lakh tonnes of paddy this year.

A total of 27.68 lakh farmers have registered for this season’s procurement, including 1.45 lakh new participants. The state has opened 2,739 procurement centers to facilitate easy access for farmers,

eliminating the need for long travel to sell their paddy. On November 25 alone, 2.17 lakh tonnes of paddy were purchased from 47,296 farmers, highlighting the increasing pace of procurement.

Chhattisgarh has become the second-largest contributor to the central rice pool, following Punjab, due to a steady rise in paddy production.

The state's agencies are ensuring smooth operations at the procurement centers, including regular transportation and milling of the paddy by rice millers.