Puducherry Feb 14 (PTI): The Food Corporation of India (FCI) would operate three direct paddy procurement centres in Karaikal region as per the directive of the Centre, Puducherry Agriculture and Electricity Minister R Kamalakannan said on Friday.
As per the directive of the Union Food, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Ram Vilas Paswan, the FCI would operate the procurement centres to directly purchase paddy from farmers in the region.
He said the target set for Karaikal region through procurement system during this year was 30,000 tonnes and the immediate procurement would be 10,000 tonnes.
Kamalakannan, basically an agriculturist, hails from Tirunallar in Karaikal region.
He said the procurement centres would be located on the premises of the Karaikal Cooperative Marketing Committee, the Modern Rice Mill in Thennangudiand on the premises of the Primary Cooperative Agricultural Society in Neduncadu in the region.
He said this was the first time after a gap of 10 years that the FCI would procure the paddy in the Union Territory and thanked the Chief Minister V Narayanasamy for the initiative taken to relieve the farmers of their difficulty in dispensing with the produce.
Kamalakannan appealed to the farmers of Karaikal to make use of this arrangement and sell their produce at the minimum support price fixed by the Centre.
On February 12 during the one-day session of the assembly, the Minister had alleged that the Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi was standing in the way of the FCI embarking upon procurement of paddy at a time when the farmers were finding it difficult to sell the bumper crop in the region. PTI COR NVG NVG
