SAMBALPUR: Paddy procurement for the current rabi season will begin from May 14 in the district. The decision was taken in the district level paddy procurement committee meeting held at the Collectorate here on Monday. The meeting, which was chaired by Sambalpur Collector Samarth Verma, resolved to procure paddy through 10 market yards at Baraipali, Gosala, Chaunrpur and Sason in Dhankauda block; Themra, Parmanpur and Sahaspur in Maneswar; Khaliapali in Jujumura and Fasimal and Kuchinda in Kuchinda block. Besides, paddy will be procured from 20 purchasing centres in Dhankauda, Maneswar, Jujumura and Jamankira blocks.
At least 21 Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies (PACS) and three Large-Sized Agricultural Multi-purpose Cooperative Societies (LAMPS) including Kuluchinda and Fasimal besides MARKFED will participate in the paddy procurement process.
Verma said the Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Department has decided to procure 26 quintals of paddy per acre of land under Hirakud Command Area during the current rabi season which will benefit the farmers. He informed that so far, 6,237 farmers have already registered themselves to take part in the rabi paddy procurement process. As many as 10,681 farmers had participated in the procurement process in the last rabi season.
Verma also appealed to farmers to register themselves before April 30. The paddy procurement will be reviewed on weekly basis for hassle-free paddy procurement, he added. The paddy procurement will begin at 6 am and continue till 10 am from Monday to Saturday. In the last rabi season, 1,17,842.62 tonne of paddy was procured in the district. The Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Department has set a first phase target to procure 63,500 tonne this season.