Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb Friday wrote to Union Minister for Food and Public Distribution Ram Vilas Paswan and sought to extend paddy procurement at minimum support price by one month beyond February 15.
Food Corporation of India (FCI) started paddy procurement for the
first time in Tripura in December last year. As per announcement, FCI
would procure 10,000 MT paddy which matches specifications and a set of
properties mentioned in FCI Procurement Rules in the next 30 days.
Paddy was obtained from 10 locations at Rs. 17.50 per Kg in the first
phase. Procurements were done in 8 high yielding revenue blocks of the
state.
“Paddy procurement is going on in full swing with effect from
December 15, 2019 and as per approved schedule of the Government of
India, it will continue up to February 15, 2019 with a base target of
10,000 MT for KMS: 2018-19. So far reports received from the field, it
is likely that the target may exceed shortly go up to 30,000 MT,
provided farmers of the uncovered areas are given scope to sell their
produce in this procurement drive”, Deb wrote in his letter to the union
minister.
He requested the Ministry to extend the procurement period for
another one month beyond February 15, 2019 with a revised target of
30,000 MT for KMS: 2018-19. The CM also urged FCI to strengthen manpower
and resources to make sure that more procurement centers can be
operated simultaneously within a short span to benefit farmers of
Tripura.
