Under the leadership of Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Deo Sai, the Chhattisgarh government has announced a detailed policy for the procurement of paddy at support price for the Kharif marketing year 2025-26. This decision has been taken keeping in mind the interests of the farmers and transparency under the leadership of Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Deo Sai.
Secretary of the Food Department, Mrs. Reena Kangale, informed that paddy will be procured at the rate of Rs 3100 per quintal. Paddy procurement will be done from November 15, 2025, to January 31, 2026. This year too, a maximum of 21 quintals of paddy will be purchased per acre.
The entire paddy procurement process will be carried out through the Chhattisgarh State Cooperative Marketing Federation (MARKFED). The nodal agency to ensure the availability of rice for the Public Distribution System will be Chhattisgarh State Civil Supplies Corporation Limited. Paddy will be procured only through those Primary Agricultural Credit Cooperative Societies and LAMPs which are associated with MARKFED’s computerization program.
Paddy will be procured in all districts of the state through 2739 procurement centers operational last year and newly approved centers. Along with this, 55 mandis and 78 sub-mandis will be used as paddy procurement centers.
The necessary credit limit for paddy procurement will be arranged by MARKFED as per the instructions of the state government, so that there is no delay in timely payment to the farmers.
The paddy procurement process in the state will be fully computerized and transparent. Farmers can register at their nearest societies and sell paddy through the AgriStack portal. Purchase will be allowed based on Farm ID derived from the loan book on the portal.
Purchasing will be linked to the Farmer ID registered on the integrated farmer registration portal based on the AgriStack registration ID of the Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India. If AgriStack registration is done at the society, there will be no need to bring the loan book to the society.
Biometric authentication has been continued in the paddy procurement process to ensure transparency and identification of genuine farmers. Only farmers themselves, or their parents, spouse, or son/daughter will be able to sell paddy. In special circumstances, a “trusted person” certified by the SDM can be authorized.
Tokens will be issued to farmers for paddy procurement, adopting a controlled and systematic process. Marginal and small farmers will be given two tokens, and large farmers will be given three tokens. New slips will not be issued on the last day, and paddy reaching by 5 PM will be purchased on the same day.
Paddy will be purchased in new and old jute bags in a 50:50 ratio. New jute bags will be purchased by MARKFED from the Jute Commissioner, Kolkata. Old gunny bags will be made usable and stenciled in blue with “Used Bag allowed for KMS 2025-26”.
Legal verification of weighing scales and weights has been made mandatory at all procurement centers. Verification certificates will be displayed at the procurement centers to assure farmers of a transparent process. The moisture content of paddy should not exceed 17%. Moisture meters will be available at every center.
Centers chosen for paddy storage will be high-lying and free from waterlogging. All centers will mandatorily have polythene covers, cement blocks, and drainage facilities to protect the paddy from rain.
Payment will be made directly to farmers’ accounts through the PFMS system. It has been ensured that the amount is transferred only to the farmer’s account; no payment will be made to any other person’s account.
Computers, printers, UPS, and network facilities will be ensured at every procurement center. Data entry operators will be employed for 6 months at a monthly honorarium of Rs 18,420. Uploading of data from all procurement centers has been mandated within 72 hours.
Prior to the commencement of paddy procurement, inspection of all centers, testing of equipment, and software trial runs will be completed by October 31. The NIC and MARKFED teams will ensure this preparation.
Kharif Marketing Year 2025-26: Advanced Paddy Procurement System—Trial Run, Training, Strict Protocols for Quality and Supervision Implemented
The state government has implemented detailed arrangements for a new phase to make the paddy procurement process at support price more transparent, technical, and accountable. Under the leadership of MARKFED, clear timelines related to training, trial runs, quality monitoring, storage-transport, control room, and insurance have been set.
As per the timetable issued by MARKFED, all officers/employees involved in paddy procurement will be mandatorily imparted computerization training. The training will include procurement software, payment entry, quality/moisture entry, tokenization, and PFMS procedures.
A trial run will be conducted at each paddy procurement and storage center of the district from November 3 to November 6, 2025. Computerization work at all approved centers will be completed by October 31, 2025, and 100% participation in the trial run will be ensured.
As per the instructions of the Government of India, the SOP issued for grading of procurement centers on PCSAP (Procurement Centers Self-Assessment Portal) will be mandatory, enabling regular self-assessment and monitoring of center-wise performance.
Divisional-level training will be conducted with FCI/NIC on FAQ specifications and computerized systems of the Government of India. Subsequently, training will be provided at the sub-division level to the chairpersons/authorized officers of societies, managers, MARKFED/revenue staff (inspectors/patwaris). Sub-division level training will be completed by October 25, 2025.
Two-tier committees for quality control will function at the storage center level and the society level. At the storage center level, a team headed by the Tehsildar will monitor and reject paddy only when necessary—in-charges will not be able to reject it at their level.
At the society level, a committee comprising the chairperson/authorized officer, Sarpanch, Collector nominated representative, and 02 public representatives (not rice millers) approved by the in-charge minister will ensure procurement of paddy conforming to FAQ from registered farmers only.
Payment to farmers will be made directly to their bank accounts only through PFMS. MARKFED will provide advance amounts to societies for support price, relevant expenses, and storage/security expenses during the procurement period; the first priority will be payment to farmers, and computer entry of expenditure item-wise will be mandatory.
Storage centers will be equipped with cap covers, drainage materials, moisture meters (including calibration), and weighing scales where possible. All accumulated paddy at procurement centers will have to be lifted by March 31, 2026. The department’s SOP for safe storage will be applicable.
Transportation rates will be as per the recommendation of the state-level committee; the transportation rate for rice will also be based on the transportation rate of paddy. Buffer limits for each center will be determined by the Collector based on physical inspection by a joint team. For quick resolution, pre-engagement will be done with districts/millers having higher capacity, and where possible, direct lifting by millers will be increased.
Border checking teams will be deployed to prevent unauthorized entry of paddy from neighboring states. Import of paddy from other states will be allowed only with the permission of the Director (Food) until April 30, 2026.
Custom milling of paddy procured at support price by registered mills will be a fully computerized process. Under the decentralized procurement scheme, Chhattisgarh State Civil Supplies Corporation will procure rice for PDS; surplus rice will be supplied to FCI.
In-charge Secretaries will be responsible in each district for the inspection and supervision of paddy procurement. Control rooms will be established at the state and district levels. A call center for complaints: 1800-233-3663 will be displayed, and complaints will be resolved within 3 days. Nodal officers will be deployed for each center/group of centers. Sensitive centers will be notified based on the Collector’s proposal, and senior officers will be assigned duties there. MARKFED will arrange for uniform printing of record forms.
An Integrated Command-and-Control Center will be established at MARKFED headquarters for end-to-end monitoring and recycling prevention of paddy procurement (expenses will be borne by the state government). Necessary police force will be provided during bank fund transport. MARKFED will insure all persons working in paddy and procurement centers (necessary details must be provided by October 31, 2025). Reconciliation of procurement centers by societies/banks/MARKFED will have to be completed by April 30, 2026.
Transparency, Accountability, and Farmer Interest Paramount
Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Deo Sai said that ensuring every annadata in the state receives the full value of their hard work is our top priority. This year too, the state government has ensured that the procurement process is completely transparent, biometric-based, and technically robust. Timely payment to farmers, a quality process, and fair opportunity are the core objectives of this policy. He assured that ensuring every annadata receives the full value of their hard work on time is our highest commitment.
