Paddy procurement up 9%

The government's paddy procurement for the central pool rose over 9% to 306.06 lakh tonnes so far in the ongoing 2022-23 kharif marketing season, according to the food ministry data. Higher quantities of paddy were purchased from Punjab, Haryana, Chhattisgarh and Telangana.

Normally, paddy procurement begins immediately after the withdrawal of the Southwest monsoon from October onwards. However in southern states, especially in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, it begins from September. The government aims to procure 775.72 lakh tonnes of paddy in the 2022-23 kharif marketing season (October-September). The actual procurement stood at record 759.32 lakh tonnes in the previous season.