Chhattisgarh MSP scheme for paddy a big draw, record procurement this year

Chhattisgarh has set a record of procuring more than 92 lakh metric tonnes of paddy under the minimum support price (MSP) scheme during the Kharif marketing year 2020-21 amid the backdrop of farmers’ agitation at Delhi borders against farm laws and demand for a guaranteed MSP.

A record number of 95.38 per cent of the total registered paddy farmers have sold paddy crop under MSP. As per officials, out of 21,52475 farmers, 20,53483 have sold their paddy this year, which is the highest in the last 20 years. The procurement that began in December last ended on January 31.

“Chhattisgarh has created a new record of purchasing more than 92 lakh metric tonnes of paddy in the year 2020-21, which is the highest since the state was formed,” a press release issued by the government stated.

In the year 2017-18, 56.88 lakh metric tonnes of paddy was procured in the state, whereas in the year 2018-19, 80.83 lakh metric tonnes of paddy was purchased and in the year 2019-20, 83.94 lakh metric tonnes of paddy was procured.

It is worth mentioning that last week Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel wrote a letter to Union consumer affairs, food and public distribution minister Piyush Goyal and urged him to raise the permitted amount of 24 lakh metric tons of rice to be procured under the central pool in FCI to 40 lakh metric tons in the Kharif marketing year 2020-21 as soon as possible.

The CM stated that in the Kharif marketing season in Chhattisgarh, the paddy was procured at the minimum support price (MSP) from the farmers as per the MoU with the food department, government of India, under the decentralized procurement scheme for the procurement of paddy.