Chhattisgarh is smoothly facilitating paddy procurement for farmers under the leadership of CM Vishnu Deo Sai.

The procurement process, which began on November 14, 2024, has continued uninterrupted. As of now, 32.29 lakh metric tonnes of paddy have been procured from 6.80 lakh farmers.

Advertisement

Payments amounting to ₹6,807.82 crore have been disbursed to these farmers through a secure bank-linking system. The paddy procurement drive will continue until January 31, 2025.

According to officials from the Food Department, a total of 27.68 lakh farmers have registered for this year’s Kharif procurement season, including 1.45 lakh new farmers.

The state has set an ambitious target of procuring 160 lakh metric tonnes of paddy across 2,739 procurement centers. On December 6 alone, 2.95 lakh metric tonnes of paddy were procured from 66,181 farmers, with 76,378 tokens issued for the day.

The state government has set up a helpline (0771-2425463) for resolving any grievances related to paddy procurement. Farmers facing issues can call this number for assistance.

Farmers can apply for tokens through the Samiti Module or the Token Tuhar Haath App. A 40 per cent allocation is reserved for token applications through the committee module, while 60% is reserved via the app.

Farmers struggling to use the app can avail of assistance from operators at procurement centers.

Upon applying, farmers can choose a date for selling their paddy based on available slots, up to January 15, 2025. Small and marginal farmers are allowed two tokens, while larger farmers are permitted three tokens.

As per the Government of India’s latest gunny bag policy, paddy procurement is being carried out using both new and old sacks in a 50:50 ratio.

Chhattisgarh has arranged sufficient sacks to meet the estimated requirement of 160 lakh tonnes of paddy. The state has utilized miller-provided, PDS, and committee-arranged sacks.

Farmers supplying their own sacks are compensated at ₹25 per sack, with ₹11.23 crore already disbursed for this purpose.

To meet the demands of paddy procurement, the state requires 4 lakh bundles of new sacks. Of this, 3.51 lakh bundles have already been received, and the remaining bundles are expected within 15-20 days.

Additionally, 72,194 bundles, including 32,392 PDS sacks, 23,078 miller sacks, and 10,176 farmer-supplied sacks, are currently available at procurement centers.

Officials have assured that there is no shortage of gunny bags at any procurement center across the state, ensuring a seamless process for farmers.