The Kerala State Civil Supplies Corporation (Supplyco) procured 1,22,420.46 tonnes of paddy from farmers as the ‘puncha’ (first) crop season drew to a close in Alappuzha.
Supplyco procured the paddy from 27,196. 57 hectares, a major portion of which was in Kuttanad.
It set a procurement target of 1,29,240 tonnes from the district at the beginning of the season. Though the production fell short of the target, officials said the procurement was on par with the last puncha season.
Paddy procurement was done as per the registration made by farmers online. The agency purchased paddy worth ₹345.22 crore from over 31,000 farmers in Alappuzha. It bought paddy at ₹28.20 per kg including a minimum support price and a State incentive bonus.
The Supplyco has so far issued pay orders to the tune of ₹305 crore to banks for disbursing procurement price to farmers. Officials said the rest of the amount would be disbursed soon. Like in previous years, farmers receive the amount from banks as post-harvest credit on production of the paddy receipt sheet. The amount disbursed to farmers is then repaid to banks by the government.
Besides the procurement price, farmers are entitled to receive 12 paise per kg as handling charges.
Earlier in the season, farmers in some areas complained that agents of mills had demanded huge discounts citing moisture content to procure harvested paddy. This led to friction between them and agents. Farmers urged the government to initiate measures to procure paddy directly from them by avoiding agents.
Meanwhile, field preparation activities and sowing for the additional (second) crop season are progressing in different parts of the district.
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