State to launch mobile paddy procurement centres in Jan

kolkata: In a bid to reach out to farmers of remote areas who find it difficult to turn up physically at the Centralised Procurement Centres (CPCs) for selling paddy, the state Food and Supplies department will soon reach out to them through mobile CPCs.

The initiative, the first-of-its-kind in the state, will start from the first week of January .

"The mobile CPCs will cover the remotest areas of the major paddy procurement blocks to minimise the harodship of the small and marginal farmers who cannot wait for storing the paddy after harvesting. These mobile CPCs will run at least till March 2023, five days a week except government holidays. Saturday will be a reserve day,"a senior official of state Food and Supplies department said. The state government is purchasing paddy at MSP (minimum support price) from small and marginal farmers since November through CPCs, Direct Purchase Centres (DPCs)and through camps arranged by SHGs and FPOs.

There are certain areas where the total number of farmers do not justify setting up of CPCs and DPCs but there are a good number of farmers willing to sell their paddy at MSP. Such areas have been identified for mobile CPCs. At least 70 mobile CPCs will be operationalised in the paddy procuring blocks. The concerned district administration has been asked to make necessary logistics and other infrastructure based arrangements for functioning of the mobile CPCs which will start operation by January 6-7.

Farmers can make their own schedule (fixing time, date and location) for selling paddy in these mobile CPCs as well as they can sell paddy as done in other purchase centres. Banner/ flex will remain fixed in paddy procurement locations permanently. Publicity material will also be displayed on the mobile van containing the relevant information including date wise locations.

The state Food department for the first time this year has allowed the farmers the discretion of fixing their own schedule for selling of paddy. The process of paddy procurement has started from November 1 and this year the target has been set at 55 lakh metric tonne.The MSP of paddy has been fixed at Rs 2040 per quintal.

The state government is giving an additional incentive of Rs 20 per quintal to the farmers who sell their paddy at CPCs, DPCs and mobile CPCs.