Government procures paddy worth nearly Rs 64,000 crore at MSP in 2021-22 mkt year so far
The government has procured 326 lakh tonnes of paddy so far in the 2021-22 kharif marketing year at the minimum support price (MSP) for nearly Rs 64,000 crore. “Paddy procurement is progressing smoothly in the Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2021-22 from farmers, at MSP like it was done in the previous years,” an official statement said.
The KMS runs from October to September.
As on December 8, total 326 lakh tonnes of paddy have been procured in the states/UTs of Chandigarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Telangana, Rajasthan, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Odisha, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
States can distribute jowar, ragi via ration shops within 6-7 months after procurement
The Centre has allowed state governments to distribute jowar and ragi within 6 and 7 months, respectively, from the end of the procurement period against 3 months earlier, as part of its efforts to boost the supply of coarse grains through ration shops and other welfare schemes.
The Government of India has amended the guidelines for procurement, allocation, distribution and disposal of coarse grains dated March 21, 2014, and December 26, 2014, the Union food ministry said in an official statement.
The procurement of coarse grains was regulated by the 2014 guidelines, under which states were allowed to procure coarse grains from farmers at MSP under the central pool. This was subject to the prior approval of the Government of India on the detailed procurement plan prepared by states in consultation with the Food Corporation of India.
