Patna: (ABN) A meeting of the District Procurement Task Force was held today under the chairmanship of Dr. Thyagrajan SM. The meeting reviewed the progress of paddy procurement from farmers at the minimum support price (MSP) under the decentralized procurement system for the Kharif marketing season 2025-26. The District Magistrate directed officials to expedite the procurement process to achieve the target. He also directed that all farmers be paid for the procured paddy within 48 hours and that pending proposals for tagging of PACS and mills be cleared immediately. The District Magistrate directed officials to ensure that standard paddy is procured strictly following government guidelines.
The District Cooperative Officer, Patna, presented a progress report in the meeting. According to the report, the total number of selected PACS/Vyapar Mandals in Patna district is 260, including 248 PACS and 12 Vyapar Mandals. So far, 53,698 farmers have registered online for the sale of paddy under the procurement year 2025-26, out of which 23,923 are ration card holders and 29,775 are non-ration card holders. The district's paddy production is 7,17,732.30 MT. The number of moisture measuring devices is 260, and the bank-credited cash is Rs 113.134 crore. So far, a total of 2,652 farmers have sold 17,989.396 MT of paddy through 259 active committees. About 13,000 metric tons of paddy have been procured in the last one week. Last year, till December 23, 2024, 1,759 farmers had sold 14,127.766 metric tons of paddy.
Expressing satisfaction over the good condition of paddy procurement, the District Magistrate directed officials to maintain the pace to achieve the target. The review revealed that paddy procurement is poor in some blocks like Phulwari Sharif, Bakhtiyarpur, Khusrupur, Simri, Pali Ganj, and Daulatpur. The District Magistrate directed the concerned Sub-Divisional Officers to monitor paddy procurement regularly and expedite it.
The review also revealed that against a total payable amount of Rs 43,06,66,140.24 at the rate of Rs 2,369 and Rs 25/quintal for the procured paddy, Rs 28,35,21,779.1 has been paid to 1,732 farmers. The number of certified rice mills is 32. The District Magistrate said that our farmers are at the center of this entire paddy procurement campaign. It is our responsibility to ensure that farmers do not face any kind of hassle in selling their paddy. He directed the Managing Director, Patliputra Central Cooperative Bank, to ensure that there is no delay in payments to farmers.
The District Magistrate directed the District Manager, State Food Corporation, to ensure that there is no delay in payments to any PACS. The District Magistrate directed all concerned officers to ensure transparency and standard paddy procurement. The District Magistrate directed all Sub-Divisional Officers to regularly monitor paddy procurement in their respective areas according to the fixed targets. The District Magistrate directed the Managing Director, Patliputra Cooperative Bank, Patna, to ensure the immediate availability of cash credit limits to the approved committees.
The District Magistrate said that all Sub-Divisional Officers and other concerned officials will be responsible for standard procurement in their respective areas. In this regard, they will regularly inspect the procurement centers and ensure strict adherence to official guidelines. Under no circumstances should paddy be procured from online-selected farmers. Any instance of procurement from middlemen or other organizations will be taken seriously. The District Magistrate directed that all Block Nodal Officers will regularly visit the procurement centers, interview paddy-selling farmers, verify the situation, and submit reports.
The District Magistrate said that he will personally inspect the paddy procurement process during his field visits and take feedback from farmers. If any kind of negligence, laxity, or irregularity is found, strict action will be taken against the erring officers and committees. The District Magistrate directed the District Magistrate to expedite the payment process to farmers for the procured paddy and directed the Managing Director, Patliputra Cooperative Bank, Patna, to make pending payments to farmers within 48 hours through the PFMS system.
The District Magistrate directed the District Manager, State Food Corporation, and the District Cooperative Officer to visit the Sub-Divisions and ensure that procurement is done at a rapid pace according to the target. The District Magistrate directed that the reporting of paddy procurement will be done through a mobile app from Block Cooperative Officers, and a comprehensive daily report will be made available by the District Cooperative Officer. The District Magistrate directed all concerned officials to remain vigilant in the paddy procurement work.
