Also requested to supply 3.56 lakh bales of new jute bags for packaging of rice.
According to the procurement estimate of Chhattisgarh, the Center has reduced the quantity of rice produced from 86.5 lakh tonnes to 61 lakh tonnes.
Supply of new jute gunny bags has also been reduced to 2.45 lakh bales
Mr. Baghel said that productivity has increased in the state due to limitation in paddy procurement, improved farming and better fertilizer management.
Due to favorable monsoon, 136.5 lakh tonnes of paddy production is estimated in 36 lakh hectares
The Chhattisgarh government has estimated to procure 130 lakh tonnes of paddy this year.
Raipur, 07 September 2023
Chief Minister Mr. Bhupesh Baghel has written a letter to the Food and Public Distribution Minister of the Government of India, Mr. Piyush Goyal, requesting to keep the target of rice procurement in the central pool at 86.5 lakh metric tons in the Kharif marketing year 2023-24. Also, it has been requested to issue necessary instructions to get 3.56 lakh bales of new jute bags supplied through the Jute Commissioner for packaging the resulting rice.
Chief Minister Mr. Bhupesh Baghel has written in the letter that according to the proceedings of the meeting of the Food Secretaries dated August 21, 2023, issued by the Department of Food and Public Distribution, Government of India, dated August 28, 2023, according to the estimated production of paddy in the state, the result is 130 lakh tonnes. The quantity of rice has been reduced from 86.5 lakh MT to 61 lakh MT. Apart from this, through the Sixth Supply Plan of Jute Packaging dated 06 September 2023, the supply quantity of new jute gunny bags required for procurement of rice in the Central Pool has been reduced to 2.45 lakh bales instead of 3.56 lakh bales.
Referring to the discussion held in the meeting of Food Secretaries on August 21, 2023, Chief Minister Shri Baghel said that in this meeting, on behalf of Chhattisgarh Government, the limit of paddy purchase by the state government in the Kharif marketing year 2023-24 in the state will be 20 quintals per kg. Referring to the increase in acres, which was fixed at 15 quintals per acre from the Kharif marketing year 2014-15 for the last several years, a request was made to keep the target of procurement of 86 lakh metric tonnes of rice in the central pool as it was. Along with the increase in paddy area in the past years, there has been an increase in productivity in view of the use of improved varieties of seeds and better fertilizer management by the farmers of the state, especially in the plains of central Chhattisgarh, due to which the demand made by farmers’ groups On the basis of this, increasing the limit of paddy purchase in the state from 15 quintals per acre, the state government has fixed a maximum of 20 quintals per acre.
Based on the first advance estimate by the State Agriculture Department, paddy production has been estimated at 136.5 lakh tonnes in the area of paddy sown in the state of 36 lakh hectares. Barring a few places in the state, the monsoon conditions are in line with the paddy crop. Due to shortage of water at some places in the irrigated area of the state, arrangements for irrigation have also been made through canals. In view of the above arrangement, it is inevitable that the production of paddy in the state will be more than the advance estimate.
