Record jump! Paddy procurement at MSP by govt up 251% in Punjab, says Hardeep Singh Puri

Punjab has seen an unprecedented increase in procurement of paddy at Minimum Support Price (MSP) by government agencies.  According to the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, these agencies have procured 26.1 LMT this year as on October 11 from 7.4 LMT last year, a whopping 251% increase in Kharif procurement.
Also, the total procurement of paddy across the country witnessed an increase of 35% --31.7 LMT last year to 42.5 LMT this year.

The number of procurement centres also went up from 14,838 centres last year to 21,869 during 2020-21, while procurement centres planned for Kharif season for this year also increased almost 30 per cent-- 30,549 procurement centres in 2019-20 to 39,130 procurement centres in 2020-21.

Reiterating the ministry’s claim of bumper procurement, Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) and Civil Aviation Minister, on Tuesday said that some people in Punjab are spreading lies and inciting farmers through fake propaganda by saying that new Agricultural law is ant-farmer.
“MSP is going to stay. There have a been a record-buying by the government agencies this season. Similarly, wheat will be procured and no farmer will face any issue,” he added.

He, along with scientists, professors, and other agriculture experts, was addressing a video press conference on Agricultural Reform Bill at Taran Taran and Amritsar in Punjab.
Puri also explained the benefits of the Bill to arhityas and said that it will also create new opportunities for them. He said arhityas can provide better seeds, inputs, knowledge, supply chain assistance apart from their existing roles in Mandis  

Earlier on Sunday, the Centre had said about 37.92 lakh tons of kharif paddy worth Rs 7,159.39 crore has been purchased at the minimum support price (MSP) from 3.22 lakh farmers in the last 15 days.
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Paddy procurement commenced in Punjab and Haryana from September 26 due to early arrival of the crop.