Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on Monday that the state government has set an ambitious target of procuring 10 lakh metric tonnes (MT) of paddy annually. This move aims to benefit farmers through assured procurement at enhanced Minimum Support Prices (MSP). The Chief Minister revealed that the government has already procured more than two lakh MT of paddy directly from farmers within the first 100 days of its tenure.
Sarma described the farmers as the state’s ‘Annadatas’ and emphasized that the initiative is focused on strengthening the agricultural economy and providing a reliable procurement mechanism for their produce. The 10 lakh MT annual target is expected to significantly expand the scale of government-backed paddy procurement in Assam, providing greater price assurance to cultivators. This move comes amid the state government’s focus on increasing farmers’ income and strengthening the agricultural sector through assured markets and better procurement mechanisms.
Direct procurement from farmers is aimed at ensuring that cultivators receive the benefits of the MSP announced for their produce, while reducing their dependence on uncertain market prices. The government is now expected to scale up procurement operations across the state to achieve the 10 lakh MT target and ensure wider participation of farmers in the procurement process. The initiative is part of the Assam government’s broader emphasis on improving agricultural livelihoods and providing stronger economic support to the farming community.
The Chief Minister highlighted the procurement achieved during the first 100 days as an important milestone towards meeting the larger annual target.
