Record Paddy Procurement This Kharif: Uttam Kumar
Rs 16,606 crore MSP paid to 14 lakh farmers; fine rice bonus crosses Rs 1,425 crore
Hyderabad: Paddy procurement reached a record 70.82 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) this kharif, eclipsing the 70.2 LMT set in 2020-21. Civil supplies minister Uttam Kumar Reddy said 14 lakh farmers had benefited, with the government paying Rs 16,606 crore as minimum support price and over Rs 1,425 crore towards bonus for growing fine rice.
The minister said this was the highest paddy procurement nationwide. He said 32.45 LMT consisted of the coarse variety, and 38.37 LMT was of the fine grades. All procured paddy has been shifted to mills for processing.
The total cost of procurement by the end of the season was pegged at Rs 16,912 crore. Of this, 98 per cent, or Rs 16,602 crore, had been paid out. The procurement exercise was facilitated by opening 8,448 purchase centres.
Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the official machinery will continue to reach out to farmers as per the scheduled timelines, ensuring the procurement process remained seamless and farmer-friendly.
