The Assam State Agriculture Marketing Board will set up five godowns with a total storage capacity of 15,000 metric tonnes (MT) and three terminal markets for the farmers’ welfare.

The godowns will be set up at Gauripur (5,000 MT) in Dhubri district, Howli (2,000 MT) in Barpeta, Dhekiajuli (5,000 MT) in Sonitpur district, Bongalmora (2,000 MT) and Simaluguri (1,000 MT) in Lakhimpur district.

One of the terminal markets will be set up on a 50-bigha plot near Silchar in Barak Valley’s Cachar district with a cost of Rs 3.17 crore. The rest of the two markets will be set up near Guwahati and Jorhat town.

“We will lay the foundation stones of all the godowns by Friday. The foundation stones of the terminal markets will be laid on Saturday,” said chairman of the board, Palit Kumar Borah.

The announcement came at a time when the state is heading for panchayat elections next year.

Borah said the locations of the terminal markets in Guwahati and Jorhat have not been finalised yet owing to non availability of land.

He hoped the terminal markets will help remove middlemen between farmers and buyers.

The board has set a target of buying 30,000 MT of paddy, against last year’s 5,300 MT, from farmers of the state at a minimum support price of Rs 1,750 per quintal as fixed by the Centre. There are 34 paddy-purchasing centres of the board across Assam.

The board is also working to set up a four-storey market on a 6-bigha plot in the heart of Guwahati.