Paddy procurement in eastern Uttar Pradesh to begin on Saturday

Lucknow, Oct 31 (PTI) The Uttar Pradesh government on Friday said the procurement of paddy from farmers in eastern part of the state at a minimum support price for the kharif marketing year 2025-26 will begin on Saturday and continue until February 28 next year.

During this period, procurement will also take place in Unnao, Raebareli, and Lucknow districts.

Paddy procurement has been underway since October 1 in western Uttar Pradesh, as well as in the Hardoi, Lakhimpur Kheri, and Sitapur districts of the Lucknow division, it said.

The government said in a statement that it has increased the minimum support price (MSP) of paddy this year.

The MSP for paddy (common) has been fixed at Rs 2,369 per quintal, and for paddy (Grade A) at Rs 2,389 per quintal. In line with the policies of the Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath government, more than 2.17 lakh farmers have registered to sell their produce within just two months, it said.

Paddy procurement will commence on November 1 in the eastern divisions of Uttar Pradesh, including Chitrakoot, Kanpur, Ayodhya, Gorakhpur, Devipatan, Basti, Azamgarh, Varanasi, Mirzapur, and Prayagraj.

Additionally, in the Lucknow division, procurement will commence in Lucknow, Raebareli, and Unnao on November 1 and will continue until February 28, 2026.

So far 2,17,625 farmers have registered as on Friday.

In western Uttar Pradesh, more than 17,000 farmers have already sold over 1.06 lakh metric tonnes of paddy within a month. Following the government's directions, procurement is progressing rapidly, and 3,920 purchase centres have been opened, according to the statement.

The government also stressed that farmers must register to sell paddy.

Farmers must register on the Food and Civil Supplies Department's website fcs.up.gov.in, or through the UP KISAN MITRA mobile app, it added.

According to the Food and Civil Supplies Department, farmers can contact the toll-free helpline at 1800-1800-150 or reach out to their district food marketing officer, tehsil regional marketing officer, or block marketing inspector for assistance or information.

The government has directed that farmers must receive payment within 48 hours, according to the statement. PTI KIS HVA