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Monday, February 15, 2010

Schemes for paddy, coconut procurement

ALAPPUZHA: Consumerfed will formally launch its projects to procure coconut and paddy from farmers in the State on Saturday and Sunday respectively. Addressing a press conference here on Friday, Consumerfed Managing Director Rigi G. Nair said Coir and Cooperation Minister G. Sudhakaran would launch the coconut procurement project at Perambra in Kozhikode district at 3 p.m. on Saturday and the paddy procurement project at Thamarakulam here at 11.30 a.m. on Sunday. Paddy procurement is faced with various problems including non-payment of appropriate prices and delay as the Civil Supplies Department is the sole procurement agency. Under the scheme, paddy procurement would be done by Consumerfed in areas where the Civil Supplies Department lacks adequate network.

As many as 413 cooperative societies had been selected to procure paddy on behalf of Consumerfed, Mr. Nair said. The paddy thus procured would be processed and sold through Consumerfed’s Triveni and Neethi stores under the brand name ‘Triveni’ at less-than-market prices. Other cooperative sales outlets too would be part of the marketing network for Triveni rice, Mr. Nair said, adding that paddy would be procured at Rs.12 a kg. As for procurement of fresh coconut and copra, Consumerfed would be joining Kerafed and Marketfed. ‘Drier’ arrangements had been made in 10 districts to process fresh coconuts into copra and to hand over the same to Nafed. The prices would be from Rs.10 to Rs.12 a kg for unbroken fresh coconuts with water while cut pieces would fetch prices varying from Rs.12 to Rs.14 a kg. The prices could differ from district to district. A district-level monitoring committee with the District Collector as chairman and Joint Registrar as convener will be in place in all districts to decide on the prices, Mr. Nair said. Consumerfed would pay farmers either on the day of procurement or a day after. Steps were being taken to ensure that farmers would not have to complain of late payments and delayed procurement any more, he added.

Source: The Hindu, Dated: 13.02.2010

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