Good response in paddy procurement, government to subsidies milling charge

A Correspondent

Agartala: The drive to procure paddy from the growers through the Food Corporation of India in Tripura has received good response from the farmers as the state government is confident of reaching the procurement target of ten thousand MT this year.

Sources in the food department said collection of paddy has already crossed six thousand MT and they are yet to reach in many areas. They are happy because the success came despite strong resistance from a section of the traders who earlier used to collect these paddies at through away price and sell them in the market at high cost.

The firming community also welcomed the move of the state government and coming forward to sell their products to the FCI instead of the traders. In some places the villagers like in Mohonpur in West Tripura district decided to be united and give their total product to the FCI.

Meanwhile, the price of the paddy in the open market witnessed an instant hike as the traders are now collecting paddy at a cost of Rs 600 per Mon (a local measuring standard) which was only Rs 400 even before the FCI starts procurement.

Manoj Kanti Deb, Minister for food and civil supplies, said the state government’s target is to supply rice to the ration shops from the locally collected paddy which will stop the outflow of state resources. He expressed satisfaction over the response receiving from the farmers.

The procurement facing a problem as the FCI pays Rs 20 per 100 kg as milling charge in other states but it is Rs 150 in Tripura. In other states the milling charge is less because the millers use the remaining part of the paddy for making oil which fetches good profit from them. But in Tripura there is no use of such oil.

However, Minister said, the state government has decided to pay Rs 130 for milling of every 100 KG of paddy and the state government will have to spent Rs 2.25 crore.

Also Read: Tripura News