Patna: A high-level meeting chaired by Bihar’s Food and Consumer Protection Minister, Leshi Singh today reviewed the state’s ongoing paddy procurement programme, with a clear emphasis on speeding up payments to farmers and tightening coordination between Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) and government departments.
Held at the department’s conference hall in Patna, the meeting included Co-operative Minister Pramod Kumar, Co-operative Department Secretary Dharmendra Singh, Food and Consumer Protection Secretary Mohd Nayyar Iqbal, and Registrar of Cooperative Societies Rajneesh Kumar Singh. The ministers said the aim was to ensure that procurement takes place “in a transparent and time-bound manner”.
Minister Singh instructed officials that payments to farmers through the Public Financial Management System must be completed within 48 hours of procurement. She also directed that the State Food Corporation ensure timely payments to PACS for the supply of custom milled rice.
Representatives of PACS raised concerns regarding pending interest payments for a four-month period. The ministers assured that the matter would be examined “positively”.
The Minister described the recent discussions with Co-operative bank chairpersons as encouraging, adding that all issues affecting procurement would be resolved swiftly.
Co-operative Minister Pramod Kumar pressed for mission-mode implementation. He directed officials to promptly tag rice mills according to capacity and ensure warehouse availability through regular District Task Force meetings. He said the government’s objective was to achieve 100 per cent of the procurement target without delay.
The meeting concluded with a reaffirmation that both departments would work jointly to strengthen the procurement ecosystem and improve outcomes for farmers across the state.
