Guwahati: In a bid to sensitize the farmers on the paddy procurement drive and to expedite the process, Assam government is organizing special gaon sabhas (village meetings) across the State on 16 January. Meanwhile, various central and State agencies like FCI, AFCSCL, NAFED, NACOF, NCCF and ASAMB have decided to procure 10 lakh metric ton paddy from the farmers at MSP of rupees 1940 per quintal.
Interacting with the district magistrates, circle officers, district agricultural officers and agricultural development officers through video conference from Janata Bhawan today, State chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma commented that due to lack of proper procurement initiatives, majority of the paddy produced in Assam is obtained by middlemen depriving the farmers of fair price.
The State government has decided to bring an end to such a situation so that farmers could be economically benefitted, added Sarma in the conference that witnessed the presence of senior officials from FCS&CA, representatives from agriculture and revenue departments, FCI regional office along with other responsible agencies like AFCSCL, NAFED, NACOF, NCCF, ASAMB etc.
In presence of FCS&CA minister Ranjeet Kumar Dass, revenue minister Jogen Mohan, agriculture minister Atul Bora, Several Parliamentarians, legislators, etc Sarma stated that the government has notified 194 paddy procurement centres across Assam, out of which 166 have been already opened. He expressed optimism that the initiative would greatly benefit the farmers apart from infusing over two thousand crores into the State economy.
Underlining the need for massive awareness among farmers for the success of the initiative, Sarma stressed on extensive publicity to sensitize the beneficiaries. He hoped that the proposed village meetings on 16 January would play an important role in making the farmers aware about the benefits of the procurement drive.
10 lakh MT paddy from Assam farmers to be procured
