Paddy purchase Policy and formation of Uttar Pradesh Natural Farming Board

• 15 Oct 2022

Why In News?

• In the meeting of the Uttar Pradesh cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on October 13, 2022, with the aim of providing relief to the farmers suffering from rains and floods, many exemptions for the agriculture sector including the announcement of 'Paddy purchase Policy' and the state Decision was taken to constitute 'Uttar Pradesh Natural Farming Board'.

Key Points

• According to Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi, the state cabinet has announced a new paddy purchase policy, under which the minimum support price for normal grade paddy has been fixed at Rs 2,040 per quintal and for A grade paddy at Rs 2,060 per quintal.
• The Agriculture Minister informed that the paddy purchase period is from October 1 to January 31 in Hardoi, Lakhimpur Kheri, Sitapur, Bareilly, Moradabad, Meerut, Saharanpur, Agra, Aligarh and Jhansi districts and Rae Bareli, Unnao, Chitrakoot, Kanpur, Ayodhya, Basti. For Gorakhpur, Azamgarh, Varanasi, Mirzapur and Prayagraj, this period is from November 1 to February 28.
• He said that online registration is mandatory for paddy purchase and all purchases from farmers would be done on the basis of computer verified Khatauni and Aadhar card. Paddy will be procured by biometric authentication of farmers through electronic point of purchase machines at the purchasing centres.
• Paddy will be procured through 4,000 procurement centres of six agencies like food department, PCF, PCU, Mandi Parishad, UPS and Food Corporation of India.
• Paddy price will be paid by all purchasing agencies through PFMS portal of Government of India within 48 hours of purchase of paddy.
• The cabinet has also approved the proposal to prepare procurement policy for coarse cereals (maize and bajra) under the Price Support Scheme.
• Under this policy, the minimum support price of maize has been fixed at Rs 1,962 per quintal and the minimum support price of bajra at Rs 2,350 per quintal. The period for procurement of maize and bajra will be from October 15 to December 15.
• Maize Bulandshahr, Hapur, Badaun, Aligarh, Etah, Kasganj, Firozabad, Mainpuri, Hardoi, Unnao, Kanpur Nagar, Kanpur Dehat, Kannauj, Farrukhabad, Etawah, Auraiya, Gonda, Bahraich from Shravasti, Ballia, Jaunpur, Deoria, Sonbhadra and Lalitpur districts, while bajra from Bulandshahr, Bareilly, Badaun, Sambhal, Aligarh, Etah, Kasganj, Hathras, Agra It will be procured from Mathura, Mainpuri, Firozabad, Kanpur Dehat, Etawah, Auraiya, Ghazipur, Jalaun and Prayagraj districts.
• Farmer registration and online procurement have been made mandatory at all purchasing agencies for sale of maize and bajra. Maize and bajra will be procured from farmers on the basis of computer verified khatauni, photo identity proof and Aadhaar card.
• The Cabinet also approved the proposal for constitution of 'Uttar Pradesh Natural Farming Board' to increase the spread of natural farming in the state and to provide continuous guidance.
• The Chief Minister will be the chairman of the governing body of the Uttar Pradesh Natural Agriculture Board, while the Minister of Agriculture and Education will be the vice-chairman. Ministers of Finance, Agricultural Marketing, Horticulture and Food-processing, Animal Husbandry and Milk Development, Panchayati Raj and Rural Engineering, Cooperation, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises departments will be the members of the governing body.
• Chief Secretary, Agriculture Production Commissioner and Principal Secretary or Additional Chief Secretary of Livestock and Milk Development, Horticulture and Food Processing, Agricultural Education, Agricultural Marketing, Panchayati Raj and Rural Development, Cooperation and Planning departments will be members.