Farmers Movement Archive

Uttar Pradesh: Paddy purchase up 130 times in first five days

LUCKNOW: Amid the raging row over the farm bills and the MSP, the government purchase of paddy saw a massive jump in the first five days as compared to the sale in the same period previous year, reports Subhash Mishra. Food commissioner Maneesh Chauhan told TOI that in the first five days since the purchase centres were opened by the state government, a massive 657 metric tonnes sale has been recorded. It was just 5 metric tonnes last year in the same period. It's 130 times jump, Chauhan said. ‘CM is ensuring every facility to paddy growers’He claimed that the farmers are showing keen interest in selling their paddy for the government-controlled MSP of Rs 1,868 per quintal and Rs 1,888 per quintal for different qualities. There are long queues at purchase centres, he said. “The difference in the numbers is really amazing," remarked the food commissioner, adding that it has also happened because this time record 4,000 purchase centres had been opened. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath is supervising the sale and ensuring every possible facility to the paddy cultivators so that they don’t face any hardship at the purchase centres. The CM Helpline 1076 is reaching out to them round-the-clock. Last time, said Chauhan, the government had purchased 56.7 lakh metric tonne against a target of 50 lakh metric tonne. This year, the target is 55 lakh metric tonne which would be surpassed easily, he added. The state government spent over Rs 10,100 crore on paddy purchase from over seven lakh farmers last year. The chief minister has instructed that no laxity should be adopted in paddy purchase and the produce of every farmer who is interested in selling it to the government purchase centres, has to be accommodated, said Chauhan.

The Times of India

2020-10-06

Lucknow