Paddy Procurement Achieved Initial Success in Tripura

Agartala: The paddy procurement drive launched by Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb from Kamalpur on December 15 has evoked a good response from the farmers as all most all the collection centers are crossing the target set by the Food Corporation Of India.

Sources in the food department said the FCI has already collected 3200 metric tons of grains and expecting that the total collection will cross the target by January 10. The reports received from Dhalai, West, South and Gomati districts are encouraging, he said.

The FCI started the drive with a target of collecting 10,000 Metric Tons and the officials said if there in some short fall in the first phase they may go for another round of procurement to fulfill the target. Though Tripura is a traditional rice growing areas this is for the first time the FCI id directly buying paddy from the local market with an aim to distribute them through the Public Distribution System.

Education Minister Ratan Lal Nath said the biggest benefit of this procurement drive is that the farmers are getting better price than previous years as the traders and middleman are finding difficult to exploit them. He said the farmers who lost interest in paddy cultivation is returning to their traditional occupation. It is the biggest benefit for the economy and the society.

Inaugurating a FCI paddy collection centre at Tarapur School field in his assembly constituency Mohonpur, the minister expressed satisfaction that the gao-panchyats and Panchyat samities has decided to arrange transportation of paddy up to the collection centre which was a major hindrance for the growers.

Taking advantage of this a section of traders has started collecting paddy from the villages is less price and selling that in the FCI collection centers and extracting profits. The minister said if the Panchyats takes the responsibility of carrying the paddy up to the collection center farmers will be interested to sell the product to the FCI which will be beneficial for them.

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