48.44 lakh metric tonnes paddy procured in Haryana

Chandigarh, Oct 23 (IANS) A total of 8.44 lakh MT of paddy has been procured in Haryana, the state government said on Thursday.

A total of 49.94 lakh metric tonnes (MT) of paddy arrived in procurement centres in the state.

During the kharif procurement season, Rs 9,029.39 crore has been transferred directly to the bank accounts of farmers in the state.

"The government has ensured timely payment of the minimum support price (MSP) to farmers," a spokesperson for the Department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs said.

He said the government is ensuring smooth and efficient paddy procurement in all designated grain markets while keeping the interests of farmers as its top priority.

He said HAFED, Warehousing, and Food and Supplies agencies are actively procuring paddy in various districts. Instructions have been issued to the departments concerned to ensure that farmers do not face any inconvenience while selling their crops.

Paddy is being purchased from farmers registered on the 'Meri Fasal Mera Byora' portal. So far, procurement has been completed from 252,693 registered farmers under this system, according to the spokesperson.

The procurement is underway under the MSP policy of the Union government, and payment for the procured crop is directly transferred to the farmers' bank accounts.

The spokesperson has appealed to farmers to bring their paddy to the mandis, only after ensuring that it meets the quality standards prescribed by the Union government, particularly the moisture limit of 17 per cent.

The state's procurement agencies have made adequate arrangements for the smooth purchase and lifting of paddy.

The payment for the procured paddy is being made at the MSP of Rs 2,389 per quintal, as fixed by the government of India, with no deductions.

According to the spokesperson, instructions have been given to maintain proper facilities in mandis, like electricity, clean drinking water, and toilets.

He appealed to farmers to bring their well-dried paddy to the markets so they can receive fair and timely payment for their produce. Moreover, commission agents clean paddy at their level.

--IANS

vg/svn