Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday directed officials to ensure that every farmer coming to paddy purchasing centers can sell his produce without any inconvenience and gets timely payment directly into his bank account. Reviewing the progress of paddy procurement, according to an official statement, the Chief Minister said the pace of procurement should be expedited and farmers should not face any difficulty at any stage of the process.
Officials told the meeting that this year the minimum support price (MSP) for common paddy has been fixed at Rs 2,369 per quintal and for Grade-A at Rs 2,389 per quintal – which is Rs 69 more than the last season. At present, 4,227 procurement centers are operational. Adityanath directed that the number of centers be increased to 5,000 so that farmers can avail this facility close to their villages and towns. According to officials, till November 30, the state had procured 9.02 lakh metric tonnes of paddy from 1,51,030 farmers and payment of over Rs 1,984 crore had been transferred directly into their accounts.
The Chief Minister also made it clear that delay in payment will not be tolerated at any level. He also directed that uninterrupted supply of fortified rice to mid-day meals and Anganwadi centers should be ensured. Adequate stock should be maintained, he said. He also said that the number of FRK (fortified rice kernel) vendors should be increased to ensure smooth supply and technical problems should be resolved promptly.
