State sets target to procure paddy worth Rs 6,000 crore directly from farmers

Kolkata: The state Food and Supplies department has set a target of procuring paddy directly worth nearly Rs 6,000 crore from the farmers in 2018.

The main purpose of the initiative is to ensure that the farmers get a good amount for their produces. The farmers often sell their paddy in lower cost due to their financial constraints. After coming to know about the incident, the state Food and Supplies department has decided to procure nearly 52 lakh metric tonnes of paddy directly from the farmers. This will also check the prevalence of middle-men.Food and Supplies minister Jyotipriya Mullick said that the paddy would be bought from the farmers through various organizations like ECSC, CONFED, BENFED and various cooperations. Mullick said that following the Chief Minister's instruction the Food and Supplies department has allotted highest fund for procuring paddy from the farmers. This will check the tout raj, said the minister.

He also said that his department is ready to provide better quality rice to ICDS centres and also to the Food Corporation of India (FCI). The process of purchasing paddy will start from November this year. The price for paddy per quintal has been fixed at Rs 1,550. To encourage the farmers, the state government will provide an additional stipend of Rs 20 per quintal so that the farmers sell the paddy directly to the government or through the cooperative societies in the state. The state government has a plan to meet the target for paddy procurement by April 2018. The minister also said that the procurement process will be done through 341 central purchasing centres which have been set up across the districts in the state. Farmers can sell a maximum of 90 quintals of paddy directly to the government and they will get the amount through his bank account through NEFT transfer.