Nellore: Government mulls spot buying of paddy

Nellore: Keeping the lockdown rules in view, the district administration is now taking up the process of spot buying for the convenience of the farmers who cannot transport their huge stocks of paddy to the market. Officials visit the agriculture lands in person and procure the produce from farmers who registered their names in e-Crop or e-Karshak applications.

But the lockdown period from the third week of March made the lives of farmers miserable as they didn't know how to shift their stocks to markets and participate in the procurement process. Already, govt procured around 2 lakh metric tonnes till lockdown.

With a bumper yield of 16 lakh metric tonnes this year, district administration established 200 paddy purchasing centres (PPC) across the district, unlike 93 PPCs last year. The centres have come up in Atmakur, Gudur, Kavali, Naidupet, and Nellore revenue divisions in big numbers. Officials are also planning to increase the number further depending on the need.

Despite lockdown due to the COVID pandemic, the joint collector Dr Vinod Kumar, here on Friday, assured farmers that their produce will not go waste, provided they register their names in e-Karshak and e-Crop applications and informed that MSP announced by the government will stay. "Govt will procure paddy at Rs 1,835 per quintal for A-grade variety, and Rs 1,815 for normal variety, provided farmers register their names online. We are planning to procure the stocks in a hassle-free manner by approaching the farmers on their fields. It is also meant to remove middlemen," he added.

He further said that they would confirm identification through mobile OTP or biometric system, and appealed to the farmers to register with the agriculture assistants close to their places for participating in the procurement process.