The ongoing paddy procurement in Uttar Pradesh is providing a boost to the rural economy. The state government has paid ₹5,000 crore to paddy farmers so far. The state government has set a target of procuring a total of 6 million tonnes of paddy this season. Against this target, approximately 2.14 million tonnes of paddy procurement have already been done. According to government data, the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for common grade paddy this season has been fixed at ₹2,369 per quintal and for Grade-A paddy at ₹2,389 per quintal. If the government achieves its target of procuring 6 million tonnes, it will inject over ₹14,000 crore into the state’s farmers.

What’s apart from paddy procurement?

Along with paddy procurement, the government is also paying special attention to the millets procurement. The Food Department has so far procured approximately 160,000 tonnes of millet worth ₹450 crore. The total Kharif payment for both paddy and millet has now crossed the ₹5,500 crore mark. A senior official of the Food and Civil Supplies Department stated that 4,650 procurement centers have been set up across the state for the convenience of farmers. He clarified that to ensure transparency, payments are being sent directly to farmers’ Aadhaar-linked bank accounts through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).

Huge surge in paddy registration

There has been a significant increase in farmers’ enthusiasm to sell their crops at government centers this year. More than 783,000 farmers have registered to sell paddy so far, which is significantly higher than last year’s 670,000. Similarly, the number of registrations for selling millet has crossed 80,000, a huge jump compared to just 21,630 registrations last year. The government has also clarified the Minimum Support Prices (MSP) for other Kharif crops. The price fixed for sorghum (Maldandi) is ₹3,749 per quintal, and for sorghum (hybrid), it is ₹3,699 per quintal. In addition, farmers are being given a support price of ₹2,775 per quintal for millet and ₹2,400 per quintal for maize.