HYDERABAD: Procurement of paddy at the minimum support price by governmental agencies was a record 6.58 lakh tonnes this khariff season. The quantity procured last year was a mere 1.43 lakh tonnes.Governmental agencies apart, ricemillers procured 28 lakh tonnes this season at MLSP, which was much above last year's 15.91 lakh tonnes. "This is a good sign for the farmers in the state," chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy said at a review meeting held with officials here on Saturday.An official press release said Reddy wanted all efforts made to see that farmers got remunerative price for their produce or at least the MSP. He recalled his efforts to persuade the Centre to announce bonus and hike the MSP for paddy.The chief minister set a target of 50 lakh tonnes of paddy procurement during the current year - 20 lakh tonnes in kharif and 20 lakh in rabi. As of now, the Food Corporation of India has opened 171 centres and purchased 28,472 tonnes of paddy. The chief minister said that though the procurement was satisfactory, action has been taken to ensure there is no distress sale.The chief minister directed collectors to ensure that millers purchase paddy at MSP and above from farmers and that there should be no purchase of paddy below MSP.
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