Target set to purchase 70 lakh tonnes of paddy in Uttar Pradesh
17-Sep-2024 11:28 AM
Lucknow. The Uttar Pradesh government has set a target to purchase 70 lakh tonnes of paddy worth Rs 16,000 crore at the minimum support price (MSP) from the farmers of the state in the Kharif marketing season of 2024-25.
It is noteworthy that the Union Agriculture Ministry has increased the minimum support price of paddy for the current season to Rs 2300 per quintal for the general category and Rs 2320 per quintal for 'A' grade.
In the 2023-24 season, the support price of paddy was fixed at Rs 2183 per quintal for the general category and Rs 2203 per quintal for A grade.
The purchase of paddy from farmers at the minimum support price will start from October 1, 2024 and will continue till February 28, 2025.
The purchase of paddy will start from western Uttar Pradesh and then gradually move towards eastern Uttar Pradesh.
During the Kharif marketing season of 2023-24 also, a target of procurement of 70 lakh tonnes of paddy was set in the state, but the actual procurement was 52 lakh tonnes or 75 lakh tonnes of paddy, but the actual mandi price has been higher than the government support price, so farmers have been selling their produce in large quantities to millers and traders.
During the current year, the UP government intends to achieve the full target of paddy procurement. For this, efforts are being made to provide better facilities at the procurement centers where every facility of the farmers will be taken care of.
Uttar Pradesh is among the leading grain producing states of the country, but its government procurement for the central pool there is less than states like Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Haryana.
Rice millers and traders may try to increase the procurement of paddy from farmers this time too as the domestic market price of rice is running high.