Lucknow, January 17: Meeting the expectations of the farmers, Uttar Pradesh, once again, has become the only state in the country to meet the target of paddy purchase about two months ahead of the scheduled time.

The state Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath led BJP Government has set a new record by purchasing 60 lakh metric tonnes of paddy till now. Compared to this period last year, the purchase this year has been about one and a half times.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed to continue the purchase despite it has exceeded the target. So far, the government has paid about Rs 7800 crore to more about lakh paddy farmers and is all set to purchase other Kharif crops including paddy, maize, and groundnut by February 28. UP CM Yogi Adityanath Inaugurates Strawberry Festival in Jhansi, Says ‘New Initiative Will Give New Identity to Bundelkhand’.

The state government has paid Rs 31904.78 crore to the paddy farmers in the last four years, making a record for the highest payment to paddy farmers in the state.

In terms of payment to wheat farmers, the Yogi-led UP government has left the previous governments far behind. In a four-year tenure, the state government has paid about Rs 30,000 crore for the crop of more than 33 lakh wheat farmers.

According to the latest data of the Food Department, the Yogi government, which has set a new record for the highest ever payment to sugarcane farmers, including the dues of the previous government, has now set a new record for payment of paddy and wheat farmers. The government has paid over Rs 61000 crore to the wheat and paddy farmers of the state so far.

Under the policy of paying the grain of the crop to the farmers, the State Government has paid Rs. 6663.32 crores for the purchase of 42.90 lakh meter tonne of paddy in 2017-18. Rs 8449.39 crore payment for 48.25 lakh meter tonne in 2018-19 and Rs 10274.25 crores were paid for 56.47 lakh meter tonne in the year 2019-20.

Ending the tradition of middlemen with farmers at the purchasing centers for years, the Yogi government started the process of direct procurement from farmers. By creating an e-purchasing portal, farmers were given the facility of direct registration so that middlemen can be excluded. This portal was linked to the revenue portal so that online verification of the Gata number of Khatauni can be done. COVID-19 Vaccination Drive in Uttar Padesh: CM Yogi Adityanath Urges People To Wait for Their Turn To Get Vaccinated, Beware of Rumours.

In order to ensure that marginal and small farmers do not have difficulty in selling food, purchases up to 100 quintals were kept free from verification by the Department of Revenue, and farmers who sold more than 100 quintals were given a verification facility from the Revenue Department. The Yogi government reserved two days for selling food grains to small and marginal farmers and also gave priority to women farmers for selling food grains.

It is to be mentioned that earlier, the Yogi government has set a new record in the state by paying Rs 111063.34 crores to sugarcane farmers. The UP government has also paid arrears of Rs 10659.42 crores to sugarcane farmers during the tenure of the Akhilesh government.