New Delhi, Feb 27 (IANS): Paddy procurement has registered an increase of 16.37 per cent against the last year's corresponding purchase of 570.30 LMT and paddy procurement for kharif 2020-21 is continuing smoothly in Punjab, Haryana, UP, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Chandigarh, Jammu & Kashmir, Kerala, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam, Karnataka, West Bengal and Tripura.

About 96.40 lakh farmers have already benefited from the ongoing KMS procurement operations with MSP value of Rs 1,25 lakh crore. Based upon the proposal from the states, the procurement of of 51.92 LMT of pulses and oilseeds of Kharif Marketing Season 2020 for the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana, Gujarat, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh under Price Support Scheme (PSS) was approved.

Also, on the concerned state government's proposal, the sanction for procurement of 29.82 LMT of pulses and oilseeds for Rabi Marketing Season 2020-2021 for the states of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana and Tamil Nadu was given.

The government through its nodal agencies has procured 3,09,347.50 MT of Moong, Urad, Tur, Groundnut Pods and Soyabean having MSP value of Rs 1,666.07 crore benefiting 1,67,782 farmers in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan under kharif 2020-21 and 37.85 MTs of Gram under Rabi 2020-21.