The Tripura government has also decided to start the paddy procurement in the present ‘Ravi’ season from June 15 next from 31 designated centres across 31 blocks of the state and this time the government will procure a total of 15,000 metric tons of paddy directly from state’s farmers on minimum support price (MSP) of Rs. 21.83 per kilogram.

Addressing a press conference at the Civil Secretariat on Monday afternoon, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Sushanta Chowdhury said that the paddy procurement will continue up to January 31st, 2024.

Giving details, Food and Civil Supply Minister Sushanta Chowdhury said that the paddy procurement will start from a designated centre located at Julaibari under South Tripura district from June 15 along with five other districts of the state.

He said that for the procurement of paddy in the present ‘Ravi’ season, a meeting through video conferencing along with SDMs of subdivisions of six districts, Agriculture officers and in the virtual meeting , it has been decided that the procurement will start with enhance rate of Rs. 21.83 per kilogram of paddy.

Chowdhury said that after the formation of BJP government in Tripura, the procurement of paddy from farmers of the state with MSP has been started twice in a year for doubling the farmer’s income and in the present ‘Ravi’ season, the government will procure 15,000 metric tons of paddy.

He said that from 2018-19 to 2023-24, the state government has procured 1,92,052 metric tons of paddy directly from 1,00,309 farmers  and farmers get a sum of Rs. 372 crore.

The paddy procurement in 2018-19 has been started with Rs. 17.50 per kg of MSP and in the present financial year, it has been increased at Rs. 21.83 per kg.

During the press meet, the secretary of Food and Civil Supply department Raval Hemendra Kumar, director of Food department, Nirmal Adhikari and additional director of Food department, Animesh Debbarma were also present.