Jharkhand launched its paddy procurement process for the 2020-21 kharif season in Ranchi on Tuesday as per the minimum support price (MSP) decided on by the state cabinet last month.

State food and civil supplies department director Vineet Tirkey said as many as 23 procurement centres had been set up in Ranchi district. “We are officially starting paddy procurement from today (Tuesday). Ranchi is the first district to start, but remaining districts will also operationalise procurement centres by this week,” he said.

This year, the state government has fixed a target to procure 4.5lakh metric tons from 1.60 lakh farmers. To encourage farmers to sell their produce at government centres, rather than to middlemen at throwaway prices, the state government has also promised to pay 50 per cent of the price to farmers on the spot through direct benefit transfer.

As per the department’s data, 1.42 lakh farmers have so far enrolled themselves across districts to sell paddy. Tirkey said the numbers were more than last year’s enrolment figures and were likely to surpass this year’s target in another two weeks.

“About 1.39 lakh farmers had enrolled themselves for selling paddy last year. This time, 1.42 lakh farmers have already enrolled in 24 districts. The enrolment process will end on December 15 by which time we expect to cross this year’s target,” he said, adding that around 310 procurement centres had been set up in all 24 districts.

Last month, the state cabinet fixed a minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 1,868 per quintal for normal paddy and Rs 1,888 per quintal for grade A quality along with a bonus of Rs 182 per quintal. Tirkey said the Food Corporation of India (FCI) will run procurement centres in Latehar, Chatra and Garhwa districts while the state food corporation would handle procurement in the remaining districts.

Ranchi deputy commissioner Chhavi Ranjan said block development officers (BDOs) had been directed to keep strict vigil and undertake a regular inspection of procurement centres to prevent any wrongdoing.

“Also, everyone has been asked to ensure strict compliance of Covid-19 safety norms at centres during the procurement processes,” he said, adding that six rice mills had been empanelled in the district for processing the procured stocks. “At the rice mills, closed-circuit television cameras (CCTVs) have been put up and magistrates have been deployed to keep a watch on the entire process to plug leakage,” he said.