Raipur: Chhattisgarh government has started the mega campaign of paddy procurement across the state from November 1 which will be conducted till 31 January next year. So far, nearly 1.74 lakh metric tonnes of paddy has been procured from farmers on support price. On November 9, 55,707 metric tons of paddy was procured from the farmers, and so far, payment of Rs 375.11 crore has been released to the farmers in lieu of paddy under the bank linking system.
Food secretary Topeshwar Verma informed that 23,682 tokens were issued on Wednesday to the farmers selling paddy. This includes 2687 tokens issued through Tuhar Haath App. Likewise, for the procurement of paddy today, 22,317 tokens have been issued in the state and 2,469 of these tokens have been issued through Tuhar Hath App. The process of paddy procurement is going on uninterrupted in the state. Officials are continuously monitoring the arrangements and so far, no complaint has been received from anywhere.
Verma informed that like last year, the lifting of paddy for custom milling has been started alongside of the procurement, on the instructions of chief minister Bhupesh Baghel. Till date, 22,192 metric tons have been released for paddy offtake, and nearly 3,692 metric tons of paddy has been lifted from the procurement centers.
Food officials said that this year, procurement of around 110 lakh metric tons of paddy is expected. As many as 25.92 lakh farmers in the state have registered for selling paddy on support price, out of which about 1.86 lakh are new farmers. 2497 procurement centers have been set up for the purchase of paddy on support price in the state. This year, normal paddy is being purchased from farmers at the rate of Rs 2040 per quintal and grade-A paddy at the rate of Rs 2060 per quintal.
