Lucknow, Mar 13 (UNI) Uttar Pradesh has set a new record in paddy procurement, surpassing last year's figure by 3.90 lakh metric tonnes, reaching 57.70 lakh metric tons in 2024-25, official sources said here on Thursday.

Sources said that ensuring prompt payments, the Yogi government has already disbursed over 99 percent of dues to farmers, amounting to more than Rs 13,326 crore. It may be noted that this year the Minimum Support Price (MSP) was fixed at Rs 2,300 per quintal for regular paddy and Rs 2,320 per quintal for Grade A paddy, Rs 117 higher than er quintal than last year. Farmers also received Rs 20 per quintal for unloading, sieving and cleaning.

Sources said that a total of 57,70,671.09 metric tons of paddy was procured from nearly 8 lakh farmers across 4,339 purchase centres in the state. "Last year, the procurement stood at 53,80,032.83 metric tons, reflecting a significant increase this year," they said.

Sources said that procurement operations were conducted seamlessly under government supervision. "In western UP, procurement was carried out from October 1 to January 31, covering Bareilly, Moradabad, Saharanpur, Agra, Aligarh, Meerut, Jhansi and parts of the Lucknow division, including Hardoi, Sitapur and Lakhimpur Kheri," they said.

Sources said that similarly in eastern UP, procurement began on November 1 and continued until February 28 across Ayodhya, Gorakhpur, Basti, Devipatan, Azamgarh, Varanasi, Vindhyachal, Prayagraj, Kanpur, Chitrakoot and parts of the Lucknow division such as Rae Bareli and Unnao.

To facilitate farmers, 4,339 purchase centres were set up under the Food and Civil Supplies Department and other procurement agencies. Sharecroppers also benefited by selling their paddy after completing registration and renewal.

Through efficient policies and robust procurement mechanisms, the Yogi government continues to strengthen the agricultural sector, ensuring timely payments and better returns for farmers across UP.

UNI AB KK