With the objective of enhancing farmers’ income, the Yogi Adityanath government is likely to enhance the direct purchase of paddy from farmers during the current season beginning from October 1.

The Centre had earlier this month marginally hiked the minimum support price (MSP) for paddy by Rs 65 per quintal to Rs 1,815 per quintal for the 2019-20 crop year, while rates for oilseeds, pulses and other cereals were raised  substantially.

Official sources said the Food and Civil Supplies department had been directed to use technology for providing all facilities to the farmers for seamless procurement of paddy from them during the next season and also the payments to them.

The department has been asked to make all the required arrangements for the paddy procurement before the commencement of the season. The Food and Civil Supplies department has prepared the schedule for the paddy procurement. The state government agencies every year set up over 3,000 paddy procurement centers.

Sources in the Food and Civil Supplies department said that arrangements were being made for the required number of jute bags, staff and funds for the purchase of paddy at the procurement centres.

The government has specifically asked the department to ensure that middlemen are not involved in paddy procurement and the commodity is directly purchased from the farmers by the official agencies. 

The department is also working on finalising the list of the rice mills where the paddy will be dispatched for milling.

The official agencies to be involved in paddy procurement are Food and Civil Supplies department, Food Corporation of India, UP Cooperative Federation, regional food controllers, Registrar Cooperative Societies, UP Agro Industrial Corporation, UP Food and Essential Commodities Corporation, UP Cooperative Union and NAFED.

During the last paddy procurement season (2017-18), the UP government had procured a little over 50 lakh metric tons of paddy directly from the farmers without involving the middleman. The government had paid special attention on payment to the farmers and the payment was made directly in their accounts by RTGS (real time gross settlement).