Paddy procurement in UP West to begin today

Lucknow: Paddy procurement in Western Uttar Pradesh will start from Wednesday in a phased manner for the Kharif marketing year 2025-26, according to the state government. Procurement will be carried out only from registered farmers, and payments will be transferred directly to their Aadhaar-linked bank accounts within 48 hours, an official statement said on Tuesday.

In Western Uttar Pradesh, the procurement will commence on October 1, 2025, and continue until January 31, 2026, covering the divisions of Meerut, Saharanpur, Moradabad, Bareilly, Agra, Aligarh, and Jhansi, as well as the Hardoi, Lakhimpur Kheri, and Sitapur districts of the Lucknow division, it added.

In Eastern Uttar Pradesh, the procurement will commence on November 1, 2025, and run until February 28, 2026, covering the divisions of Chitrakoot, Kanpur, Ayodhya, Gorakhpur, Devipatan, Basti, Azamgarh, Varanasi, Mirzapur, and Prayagraj, as well as Lucknow, Rae Bareli, and Unnao districts of the Lucknow division, the government said.

As of September 30 (11 am), more than 23,500 farmers have registered for procurement. An OTP-based single registration system has been introduced, enabling farmers to register easily through their mobile phones. The government said to ensure transparency and eliminate middlemen, paddy procurement at centres will be done through biometric verification using e-POP (Electronic Point of Purchase) devices.

Procurement centres will operate from 9 am to 5 pm daily. The minimum support price (MSP) for paddy this year has been increased to Rs 2,369 per quintal for the common variety and Rs 2,389 per quintal for Grade A, according to the statement.