Maha cabinet approves additional incentive for paddy farmers

The Maharashtra cabinet onTuesday approved Rs 700 per quintal paddy procurementincentive support to farmers over and above the rates fixed bythe Centre for the produce purchased under the MSP schemeduring the 2020-21 kharif marketing season.

The decision, which was taken in a meeting chaired byChief Minister Uddhav Thackeray here, will cost an additionalRs 1,400 crore to the state, an official statement said.

The Centre has fixed Rs 1,868 per quintal MSP forcommon grade paddy, while for the graded one, it is Rs 1,888per quintal.

“The decision (by the state cabinet) was taken aspaddy cultivators are in trouble. The incentive support amountwill be given only for the paddy purchased online,” thestatement said.

It is estimated that 1.78 crore quintals of paddy willbe purchased this year, it said.

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