Paddy Procurement for KMS 2026–27 to Commence from 1 November : Minister Kaushik Rai Reviews Preparedness Through Video Conference with District Commissioners:Minister Calls for Exploring DCP in all Districts to Ensure Availability of Locally Procured Rice in Assam.
Dalim Phukan
Hills Live News, Guwahati, October 31:
With the paddy procurement process for the Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2026–27 (First Crop) set to commence from 1 November 2026, Minister for Food, Public Distribution & Consumer Affairs, Kaushik Rai, today chaired a video conference with the District Commissioners of all districts to review the preparedness and ensure smooth implementation of the procurement process across the State.
The State has set a procurement target of 8.49 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of paddy through 181 notified Paddy Procurement Centres (PPCs). The Minimum Support Price (MSP) for the season has been fixed at ₹2,441 per quintal. The Minister also informed that the State Government’s incentive for paddy procurement would be announced in the next Cabinet meeting.
Emphasising the need for a coordinated and efficient procurement mechanism, the Minister stated that the Agriculture Department has deputed its officers as PPC Managers to facilitate the smooth functioning of the procurement centres. He requested all District Commissioners to attach two additional staff members to each PPC to ensure adequate manpower and effective operations.
The Minister directed the District Commissioners to convene meetings with all registered farmers and members of the PPC Monitoring Committees headed by local MLAs to familiarise them with the procurement process, procedures and benefits. He also emphasised that the PPC Monitoring Committees should meet every fortnight to review the functioning of the centres and address operational issues.
Stressing the importance of regular field-level supervision, Shri Rai urged the District Commissioners, ADC, Agriculture and ADC Supply to undertake regular visits to the PPCs to monitor procurement activities and ensure transparency and accountability. He also urged the District Commissioners to facilitate toilet facilities at every PPC to provide basic amenities for farmers visiting the centres.
The Minister further announced that he would personally review the progress of paddy procurement every month, while the Managing Director of Assam Food and Civil Supplies Corporation Limited (AFCSCL) would conduct weekly reviews to ensure continuous monitoring and timely resolution of issues.
Highlighting the importance of timely payment to farmers, the Minister directed the concerned authorities to ensure that the MSP amount is credited to farmers within one week of procurement.
Earlier, the Minister chaired another video conference with the MLAs and District Commissioners of Golaghat and Nagaon districts to discuss the feasibility of introducing the Decentralised Procurement (DCP) system in these districts shortly.
It may be mentioned that at present, only Bongaigaon and Biswanath districts have the DCP system in place. The Minister urged the concerned MLAs and District Commissioners to examine the feasibility of extending the system to Golaghat and Nagaon and take a decision within one week.
Highlighting the importance of DCP in facilitating the availability of locally procured rice for consumption within Assam, the Minister also raised the matter during the subsequent video conference with all District Commissioners and urged every district to come forward and explore the possibilities of establishing DCP.
Reviewing the previous season’s procurement performance and taking note of the issues raised by various districts, Shri Rai urged all District Commissioners and concerned officials to work with dedication, commitment and close coordination to achieve their respective procurement targets well ahead of the stipulated deadline.
He emphasised that the ultimate objective must be to ensure that genuine and deserving farmers receive the full benefits of the Government’s paddy procurement initiative through a transparent, accessible and farmer-friendly system.
The video conference was attended by Additional Chief Secretary, Food, Public Distribution & Consumer Affairs Department, Biswaranjan Samal; Secretary, FPDCA Department, Anusua DuttaU Barua; Managing Director, AFCSCL, Parijat Bhuyan; General Manager, FCI, Assam, Manoj Kumar, along with other officials.