T. Siddique, Kerala's Agriculture Minister, announced renewing a paddy procurement deal with public sector banks. This continues a practice started by previous LDF government . At a ‘Meet Press’ event Saturday at Calicut Press Club,Siddique said Kerala Civil Supplies Corporation,or Supplyco,will handle procurement .
Farmers get loans from public banks for harvested paddy,with paddy receipt sheets (PRS) issued. State government repays principal and interest on these loans. But delays in repayment persist,Siddique noted .
During LDF's rule,procurement was Now UDF government returns to a system where Supplyco manages it all. This decision came after UDF's first Cabinet meeting, which formed a sub-committee. Siddique,Food and Civil Supplies Minister Anoop Jacob, and Cooperation Minister M. Liju engaged with officials and banks to renew procurement deal,which expired March 31.
They're rushing to finish procurement before monsoon hits,minister said. Process is almost done. Food and Civil Supplies department will also tackle farmers' concerns about paddy moisture content to prevent PRS delays.
Asked about crop loss compensation,Siddique admitted government hasn't paid since 2021 . He also talked about boosting female participation in agriculture. But will these plans materialize…
