Stage set for procurement of paddy in East Godavari

1,129 Procurement Assistants to be deployed to help farmers at the ground-level

Procurement of paddy for the Kharif season this year is all set to begin in East Godavari district from the second week of November.

Paddy was sown in over 2.2 lakh hectares, and a yield of over 13.60 lakh metric tonnes is expected, as per the preliminary estimations by the Agriculture Department.

In a procurement preparedness meeting with officials of Agriculture, Marketing and Revenue Departments and rice millers here, Joint Collector (Revenue) G. Lakshmisha said.

“Procurement of paddy will commence from the second week of November through the 682 Paddy Purchasing Centres (PPCs). This year, each of the 1,129 Rythu Bharosa Kendras will have a procurement assistant, who will guide farmers on various parameters of paddy quality and Minimum Support Price apart from coordination between the farmer and the PPC,” Mr. Lakshmisha said.

The rice millers have been told to offer the MSP of ₹1,888 per quintal of A Grade paddy and ₹1,868 for General Grade. This year, the State government will not procure the discoloured paddy as the paddy procured by the government would be meant for distribution under the Public Distribution System. Paddy was the most affected crop during the recent rains and floods in the Godavari across the length and breadth of the East Godavari district including the Godavari delta.

Gunny bags

District authorities have already geared up to meet the demand for gunny bags in order to prevent delay in paddy procurement owing to their shortage. “At least 80,000 gunny bags are already available with us to help speed up the paddy procurement across the East Godavari district. However, the total requirement of gunny bags is nearly 1.6 crore in the district. If need be, we are ready to purchase gunny bags from private sellers,” Mr. Lakshmisha told The Hindu .

The Sub-Collectors at Amalapuram and Rajamahendravaram have been told monitor the procurement, guaranteeing the farmer to get the promised support price for the paddy. Civil Supplies Department District Manager E. Lakshmi Reddy and other officials were present.