State Govt organises symposium for direct paddy procurement

Kolkata, Nov 1: West Bengal Food & Supplies Department has set a target of purchasing 52 lakh mt of paddy for the year 2018 and will start the process of purchasing paddy right from November 1. The price for paddy per quintal has been pegged at Rs 1,550 and the state government will provide an additional stipend of Rs 20 per quintal to encourage farmers to sell paddy directly to the government or through the cooperative societies in the state. The state government will spend Rs 200 crore annually for this additional farmer stipend. During an address to the first of its kind symposium to ensure smooth paddy procurement by the cooperative societies directly from the farmers so that the latter gets the minimum support price, the State Cooperation Minister recently said the government is determined to stop distress sale of paddy. According to the Minister, around 36.35 lakh mt will be converted into rice and the rest will be kept for emergency purposes in case of any natural calamity or disaster. The procurement process will be done through 341 central purchasing centres that has been set up across the districts in the state. A farmer can sell a maximum of 90 quintals of paddy directly to the government and will quickly get the money credited to his bank account through NEFT transfer. The department is opening two toll-free numbers 18003455504 and 18003451967 that will address queries on procurement. The state government has sanctioned an amount of Rs 800 crore which will be utilised in construction of godowns with a total capacity of 5 lakh mt by the year 2018. The Minister said his department will stress upon activating the dormant Kisan Credit Cards and open up cooperative societies that have become non-functional for some reasons. UNI