6,000 wheat procurement centres in UP, CM Yogi directs officials for regular monitoring

New Delhi: The farmers welfare and facilities to them had always been on the top of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s agenda. It can well be manifested by the fact that in the last four years, the Yogi government has made record of wheat and paddy procurement.

Wheat procurement process has gained momentum in the state. Despite Corona, as on April 5, the ondate purchase of 1343.98 MT with progressive purchase of over 1398 MT of wheat has been made at the centres in five days. Along with the Covid protocol being maintained at the 6000 procurement centers in the state, farmers are being provided drinking water and covered places to sit and other necessary facilities.

CM Yogi has issued instructions to other officers, including the District Magistrate, to visit the procurement centres and monitor the facilities of the farmers on a regular basis.

The Food and Civil Supplies Department has made special preparations for wheat procurement. The state government has fixed the minimum support price of wheat at Rs 1975. The State Government has also instructed the officers to provide the oximeters and infrared thermometers at the procurement centres. The temperature of every farmer arriving at the procurement centrs is being checked.

The state government has already made arrangements for online registration to avoid crowds at these centres. The farmers will be able to reach the centre and sell their wheat on arrival as per token numbers provided to them through registeration. This will not crowd the procurement centres.

The Yogi government has set up purchase centres to farmers within a 10-kilometer radius of their fields, so that farmers do not have to travel long distances to sell wheat. For the convenience of the farmers, the state government has decided that procurement will continue till the last farmers turns up to sell the produce.

It is to be noted that during the four-year tenure, the state government has made a record payment of Rs 29017.45 crore to more than 33 lakh wheat farmers.

The Yogi government has also made a record of highest ever payment to the paddy and wheat farmers of the state in four years. Even in terms of payment to wheat farmers, the Yogi government has left the previous governments far behind.

UP’s new record in paddy procurement

The Yogi government has also set a new record in paddy procurement. The state government has paid more than Rs 23328.80 crore to 2553804 paddy farmers, which is an all-time record in the state.

According to the figures, the Yogi government purchased a total of 162.71 lakh MT wheat from 3345065 farmers during the four-year term. The state government has made a record payment of a total of Rs 29017.71 crore to farmers for wheat purchased through a total of 24256 purchase centres in the state.