Dehradun, 01 March (HS). Food Minister Rekha Arya has instructed departmental officers to complete all preparations for the purchase of Rabi crops by March 31. This year, procurement of Rabi crop will start from April 1, which will continue till June.
Food Minister Rekha Arya held a review meeting with departmental officials regarding important issues of the Food Department at her camp office in Yamuna Colony. It was told in the meeting that this year the minimum support price of wheat is Rs 2275, which has been fixed at Rs 150 more than last year. It was told that in the upcoming session, it has been decided to purchase wheat through the marketing branch of the Food Department, UCF, NSCF, UPCU, NAFED and UKUSS purchasing agencies. Besides, it has also been decided to operate a total of 265 purchasing centers – 35, 140, 10, 40, 30 and 10 respectively, which is 44 more purchasing centers than the previous session.
In the meeting, the Food Minister directed that when farmers sell their crops at purchasing centres, they should ensure payment for their crops within 72 hours. Besides, instructions were also given that all the purchasing centers should be established as soon as possible and people should be made aware. Ensure necessary basic arrangements in the purchasing center including drinking water, toilets etc.