5 lakh MT paddy procured in Assam for INR 972 crore — Himanta

Guwahati, Aug. 30 (PTI): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said various agencies have procured five lakh MT of paddy for INR 972 crore, benefitting 43,000 farmers across the state.

The Assam government had earlier set a target of procuring 10 lakh MT of paddy at Minimum Support Price (MSP), which is INR 1,940 per quintal, from the state.

“Today, under MSP, paddy procurement crossed 5 Lakh MT (Kharif 2021-22) benefitting 43000 farmers & involving INR 972 Cr,” Sarma tweeted.

“I congratulate all farmers, procuring agencies, millers for this feat, first time in last 75 years. We stand to expand the operation to cover all farmers of Assam,” he added.

The Kharif marketing season 2021-22 runs from October to September.

The paddy procurement in 2020-21 was 2.12 lakh MT, down from 3.15 lakh MT in the previous year. It was 1.51 lakh MT in 2018-19.

Meanwhile, the chief minister laid the foundation stone for construction of an RCC bridge over Dhansiri River on Udalguri-Bhairabkunda Road in Udalguri district at a financial outlay of INR 34.42 crore.

He said that the new bridge will improve the inter-state connectivity between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh and will give a boost to the socio-economic condition of the people living along the inter-state boundary.

“This bridge will also shorten the travel time to Western Arunachal Pradesh, including Tawang which is a very popular international tourist hub of this region. The bridge will give a major boost to the tourism potential of Bhairabkunda and help generate employment,” Sarma added.