RAYAGADA: Paddy procurement for kharif season will begin in Rayagada district from Wednesday. Collector Jagannath Mohanty held a meeting here on Tuesday to review preparedness of the district administration for procurement.
A total of 4,47,000 tonnes of paddy will be procured in the first phase and the district administration has opened 33 mandis for the purpose in different areas. Paddy will be purchased by Large Area Multi Purpose Cooperative Societies (LAMPS).
Mohanty informed that Procurement Automation System (PAS)had been fixed in 27 mandis. Through PAS, procurement money will be transferred to farmer’s bank account immediately after the purchase.
The Minimum Support Price (MSP) has been fixed at `1,410 per quintal and 11,806 farmers have so far registered for selling their paddy. Last year, around 13,800 farmers had registered.
This year, farmers will get `100 per quintal extra on the MSP due to the drought condition, said Civil Supplies Officer, Nilakantha Mohanty. At present, 60 millers have agreed to process paddy into rice. The Regulated Market Committee (RMC) has been directed to equip the mandis with moisture-testing equipment, electronic weighing machines and mini-graders. To safely stock the procured paddy, polythene sheets and tarpaulin have been stocked at the mandis.