Boro paddy procurement begins in South Dinajpur

BALURGHAT: The Food and Supplies department of South Dinajpur has officially launched the procurement of boro paddy from the Rabi season, targeting the purchase of 5,000 metric tonnes. The procurement began on Monday and has now been extended to 18 designated centres across the district from Tuesday.

According to the department, the target for kharif season procurement — set at 1,52,000 metric tonnes — has already been nearly fulfilled, with over 1,51,000 metric tonnes purchased by April. The new target of 5,000 metric tonnes of boro paddy is being treated as an additional procurement effort. District Food Controller Furba Bhutia said: “We have already procured over 1.5 lakh metric tonnes of paddy. Now, we are targeting an additional 5,000 metric tonnes from the rabi crop. Farmers willing to sell must first register and then visit the assigned Kisan Mandis to complete the process.” Farmers are required to register in advance and book a sale date through SMS confirmation before they can sell their paddy at the centres. For this season, the government is offering Rs 2,300 per quintal along with an additional Rs 20 as incentive per quintal.

To ensure a smooth process, officials have been instructed to maintain strict vigilance at all centres so that farmers do not face any inconvenience. Although boro cultivation is comparatively limited in the district, the administration is keen on ensuring that even the reduced target is achieved efficiently.