GUNTUR: The Guntur administration has identified locations for 68 paddy procurement centres across the district from December. The State government has fixed a minimum support price of Rs 1,770 per quintal for the Grade-A variety, which is an increase of Rs 180 from last year, and Rs 1,750 per quintal for the normal variety, a Rs 200 raise from last year.
Agriculture officials are expecting over 13 lakh metric tonne of paddy to arrive in the market as the crop was grown in 1.91 lakh hectares in the district. As per instructions from the government, 18 primary agriculture credit societies, 34 cooperative societies and 15 velugu societies have already submitted proposals to the officials concerned to purchase paddy from farmers. Guntur Joint Collector A Md Imtiyaz has directed the officials to establish purchase centers in each mandal headquarter before December.