New Delhi: The government has procured 462.88 lakh metric tonnes (LMTs) in the ongoing Kharif season, the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare said in a statement.
As per the government’s estimates, there is an increase of 24.90 per cent against the last year corresponding purchase of 370.57 LMT.
“Paddy procurement for Kharif 2020-21 is continuing smoothly in the procuring States & UTs of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Chandigarh, Jammu & Kashmir, Kerala, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal with purchase of over 462.88 LMT of paddy up to 28.12.2020,” reads the statement.
Out of the 18 States/Union Territories, Punjab alone has contributed 202.77 LMTs which is 43.80 per cent of total procurement.
So far, the government procured Rs 87,391.98 crore worth of paddy at Minimum Support Price from about 57.47 lakh farmers, the statement added.
Besides paddy, the Centre has given its approval for procuring 51.66 LMT of pulse and oilseeds.
Also read: Sebi fines NDTV Rs 5 crore over disclosure lapses
Also, the statement mentioned that a quantity of over 69 lakh cotton bales valuing Rs 20,391.36 crore has been procured from more than 13 lakh farmers.
Despite the disruptions triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic, agriculture continues to be the bright spot in the Indian economy.
In fact, it was the only sector to register a positive growth rate (3.4 per cent) during the April-June quarter and the same momentum continued in the subsequent quarter as well.
