Uttar Pradesh: Coop wheat purchase jumps up by 35%

Wheat procurement in the cooperative sector has registered a jump of around 35% in the ongoing rabi marketing season, signalling a significant strengthening of govt-backed grain purchasing mechanisms and farmer participation in UP.Data show that the cooperative department has procured 6.45 lakh metric tonnes of wheat, which is almost 44% of the total target of 14.55 lakh MT. The purchase, which began on Mar 30, will span till Jun 15.
This is in contrast to last year, when as against a much higher target of 35 LMT, the sector managed to purchase 4.77 LMT, which was only 13.45% of the overall goal.
The higher procurement of wheat this year comes despite the fewer procurement centres as compared to last year. This year, the department set up 3,799 centres as against last year’s 3,859.

The higher procurement by the cooperative sector this year, sources said, was essentially driven by a well-oiled coordinated strategy focusing on setting up procurement centres closer to the fields and deployment of mobile vans for purchasing directly from the farmers.
In states like UP, where small and marginal farmers often sell quickly to local traders because of logistical constraints, the doorstep-style procurement has significantly altered participation levels.

This article has been republished from The Times of India.