Lucknow, Oct 31 (Reporter) Paddy procurement in eastern Uttar Pradesh is set to commence from Friday with scheduled procurement dates across various districts in the Lucknow division, official sources said here on Thursday. Sources said that beginning November 1, procurement of paddy will start in Lucknow, Rae Bareli and Unnao of Lucknow division along with eastern UP, while paddy procurement in Hardoi, Lakhimpur Kheri and Sitapur of western UP has been ongoing since October 1. The minimum support price (MSP) has been set at Rs 2,300 per quintal for paddy and Rs 2,320 for Grade A paddy. The farmers will receive a reimbursement of Rs 20 per quintal for unloading, sieving, and cleaning processes. To facilitate paddy sales, the state has set up approximately 4,000 procurement centres through the Food and Civil Supplies Department and other procurement agencies, ensuring accessible options for farmers across all districts in UP. These centres will operate daily from 9 am to 5 pm. The Yogi government has directed that farmers be paid within 48 hours of selling their paddy. Registration for paddy purchases has been ongoing since September 1, organised by the Food and Civil Supplies Department. According to the Agriculture Department, paddy crops cover an area of 61.24 lakh hectares in this Kharif season, with an estimated production of 265.54 lakh metric tonnes, averaging about 43.36 quintals per hectare. Paddy procurement in eastern UP will cover the divisions of Chitrakoot, Kanpur, Ayodhya, Gorakhpur, Devipatan, Basti, Azamgarh, Varanasi, Mirzapur, Prayagraj. In western UP, paddy procurement, which began on October 1, will continue until January 31, 2025, while the procurement in eastern region will continue until February 28, 2025...////...