By IANS,
Raipur : The Chhattisgarh government Monday started procuring paddy at the minimum support price from about one million farmers.
The procurement will continue till Jan 31, 2010 and farmers will get Rs.950 per quintal for common grade paddy and Rs.980 per quintal for grade-A.
The state government has set up 1,577 procurement centres across the 18 districts of the state.
The procurement will be made through primary co-operative societies.
The government expects to procure up to four million tonnes of paddy during the 2009-10 season, according to agriculture department officials.
Chhattisgarh’s paddy output had touched 5.7 million tonnes last year and the state has set a target of 6.55 million tonnes production for the current kharif season despite a poor monsoon.
About 80 percent of Chhattisgarh’s 20-million population is dependent on agriculture.
The state government has also announced that it will procure maize at a support price of Rs.840 per quintal at all the 1,577 centres.