GUWAHATI: The purchase of more paddy than 1 lakh MT for KMS 2022–23 was advantageous to Assam farmers this season. Notably, it represents a considerable increase over the Kharif season of 2021–2022 when the figure was only reached on March 16. The public was made aware of this by the chief minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma.
" Farmers' interest is foremost for us!
Happy to share that today we crossed the figure of 1 lakh MT in paddy procurement from our farmers.
It's a huge progress from 2021-22 Kharif season when the figure was achieved only on 16th March", a Facebook post read by CM Himanta Biswa Sarma.
In Assam, 2022 Paddy procurement earlier in September set an all-time high record during the 2021–20 Kharif season. This season, a number of organizations purchased from the state approximately 5 lakh MT (metric tonnes) of paddy, helping about 43,000 farmers. A platform that allows farmers to register their intent to sell paddy was launched by the State Government in 2022, which helped paddy sales.
In the state, paddy has an MSP (Minimum Support Price) of Rs 1,940 per quintal. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma occasionally watched the paddy purchase procedure to ensure that the farmers received fair rates.
Official sources state that the direct benefit transfer (DBT) method was used by the procurement agencies to pay farmers around Rs 972 crore.
Atul Bora, the minister of agriculture, had remarked, "In a state like Assam where agriculture is the main industry, the increase in paddy purchases this year is encouraging. The farmers have benefited from it, at least in part. They are unable to sell their goods in the MSP market. The procedure for purchasing paddy was under the Chief Minister's personal watch. We are optimistic that we can maintain this pace of paddy procurement. This year, a major share in the procurement of paddy was handled by the Food and Civil Supplies Department."
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