The purchase of paddy started in Punjab and Haryana from September 26. (Folder)
New Delhi:
Minimum Support Price (MSP) paddy purchases in Punjab, India’s food bolus, increased ninefold to 15.99 lakh tonnes in the first 13 days of the current kharif marketing year , dropping from 1.76 lakh tonnes a year ago, according to the Union Food Ministry.
Paddy purchases started in Punjab and Haryana from September 26 due to the early arrival of the harvest, while in other states from October 1.
Over 80 percent of the country’s paddy crop is grown during the kharif season. The government, through the Food Corporation of India (FCI) and state agencies, purchases paddy from the MSP.
“During the current Kharif season, Punjab has seen an unprecedented increase in purchases from 1.76 lakh last year to 15.99 lakh tonnes this year as of September 8, or more than 900% of purchases of Kharif compared to last year, “the ministry said in a statement.
As of September 8, total paddy purchases in all states increased 48% to 26.3 lakh tonnes this year from 17.7 lakh last year, much of which was purchased in Punjab, he said. -he declares.
Paddy purchases in Tamil Nadu also increased to 9,517 tonnes from 320 tonnes, while in Uttar Pradesh they increased to 4,423 tonnes from 92 tonnes during the said period, he added.
Similarly, in Uttar Pradesh, paddy purchases have increased to 4,423 tonnes so far this kharif season from 92 tonnes a year ago, he added.
For the current year, the center has set the MSP for paddy (common quality) at Rs 1,868 per quintal, while that of variety A has been set at Rs 1,888 per quintal.
In addition, the government, through nodal agencies, purchases pulses and oilseeds from the MSP under the Price Support Program (PSS), which becomes operational when market rates fall below the price of support.
Until September 8, around 455.60 tons of moong worth Rs 3.28 crore MSP were purchased from 324 farmers in Haryana and Tamil Nadu.
Likewise, 5,089 tonnes of copra with an MSP value of Rs 52.40 crore were purchased from 3,961 farmers in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu during the said period.
For copra and urad, the rates are equal to or higher than the MSP.
The respective state governments are making arrangements for the commencement of procurement for Moong.
The Center has agreed to purchase 30.70 lakh tonnes of kharif pulses and oilseeds this year under the PSS in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana, Gujarat, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh as well as 1.23 tonnes of Copra in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
Approval for other states will be given upon receipt of procurement proposals in accordance with PSS standards, the ministry added.
In the case of cotton, the state-run Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) purchased 11,755 bales worth MSP 3,314.55 lakhs from 2,404 farmers until September 8.
Unlike before, the government is releasing daily purchasing data to send a message to farmers protesting new farm laws that it has no plans to end MSP purchasing.
Farmers in Punjab, Haryana and several other states are protesting against new farm laws, which they say will lead to corporate purchases and the end of the MSP regime.
