CM chairs meet to discuss procurement of surplus kharief crops

JAMMU: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today chaired a high level meeting to discuss and chalk out strategies for further streamlining of procurement of surplus paddy and other Kharief crops from the farmers.
Among others, Deputy Chief Minister Mr. Tara Chand, Minister for Health Mr. Sham Lal Sharma, Minister for Industry and Commerce Mr. S. S. Slathia, Minister for Agriculture Ghulam Hassan Mir, Minister for CAPD Qamar Ali Akhoon, Minister of State for Cooperative Dr. Manohar Lal Sharma, Minister of State for CAPD Mr. Shabir Ahmed Khan, Advisor to Chief Minister Devender Singh Rana, Chief Secretary Mr. Madhav Lal, Principal Secretary Agriculture production Mr. Iqbal Khandey, Principal Secretary to CM B. B. Vyas, Commissioner Secretary Finance Mr. Sudhanshu Pandey, Divisional Commissioner Jammu Dr. Pawan Kotwal, Commissioner Secretary CAPD Mr. Pardeep Gupta and other senior officers of various department were present in the meeting.
Mr. Omar Abdullah exhorted upon the FCI authorities to ensure timely procurement of surplus paddy of the farmers and make all the 13 procurement centres including 4 food store depots identified by FCI functional at Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts on round the clock basis. He directed for procurement of paddy at Minimum Support Price (MSP).
It was decided in the meeting that the state will extend all logistic support to FCI for making the procurement centres fully functional round the clock. Besides, as a long term measure, the department of Agriculture shall explore possibility of opening regulated mandis on need basis across the state for procurement of surplus foodgrain for the farmers in future. Matters relating to necessary amendment in J&K Agricultural Produce Marketing (Regulation) Act 1997 for setting up of such mandis on permanent basis were also discussed in the meeting.