CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu today announced enhancing the minimum support price for paddy for the 2017-18 kharif season.
The Centre had fixed Minimum Support Price (MSP) for Grade A variety and common variety of paddy at Rs 1,590 and Rs 1,550 respectively.
Chief Minister K Palaniswami said the state government would provide additional Rs 70 and Rs 50 respectively to these varieties.
"With the revised hike, the minimum support price of paddy per quintal of Grade A variety has been fixed at Rs 1,660 and for common variety at Rs 1,600", he said in a release.
Palaniswami said he had issued orders to District Collectors to set up paddy procurement centres except in Chennai and Nilagiri districts, so that farmers could sell paddy at these places at the government fixed rates.
He said the government has planned to procure 20 lakh metric tonnes of paddy, adding that 1,564 direct paddy procurement centres have been planned to set up in the state.