Food Ministry is
operating more paddy procurement centres in the non-traditional
States like Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa during the current
Kharif Marketing Season 2002-03. As directed by Shri Sharad
Yadav, Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution,
the Food Corporation of India has opened more procurement centres
in these states to step up procurement of paddy under the Minimum
Support Price operations to benefit farmers during the procurement
season.
FCI has opened
100 paddy procurement centres in Bihar, 44 in Madhya Pradesh
and nine in Orissa and about 3408 MTs of paddy has already been
procured in these states. FCI is operating procurement centres
for the first time in Orissa. Procurement of paddy and rice
during the current year has been quite satisfactory despite
drought conditions in several parts of the country. As on January
23 the total procurement of paddy stood at 11.45 million MTs
as against 13.01 million MTs in the corresponding period last
year.
To give special
attention to the North-Eastern States Shri Sharad Yadav has
also announced the setting up of a new regional office at Dimapur
to cover the States of Manipur and Nagaland.
