Paddy purchase duration in Vidarbha extended till May 31

Paddy procurement by government agencies from farmers in Vidarbha will continue till May 31 in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, Maharashtra Food and Civil Supplies Minister Chhagan Bhujbal said on Tuesday.

Earlier, the paddy procurement exercise in the region was to end on March 31 which has now been extended to May 31 with approval from Union Food and Civil Supplies Minister Ramvilas Paswan, he said.

The decision has been taken in view of the coronavirus outbreak which has triggered a lockdown in the state, Bhujbal said.

The Vidarbha region, in east Maharashtra, has seen a large quantity of paddy production this year.

The state government is paying Rs 1,800 as Minimum Support Price (MSP) a quintal for paddy and Rs 700 bonus this year.

"As they were getting good price at government purchase centres, farmers turned their back on private traders. They were bringing paddy to government purchase centres on a large-scale.

"However, restrictions put in place in the wake of coronavirus pandemic created inconvenience for them so the deadline has been extended," Bhujbal said.

The decision will come as a huge relief to paddy grower farmers in Vidarbha, he said.