Lucknow, Sep 30 (Reporter) The Uttar Pradesh government will begin procurement of paddy in the western district of the state from October 1, official sources said here on Monday. Sources said that the procurement process will take place on different dates across the districts in the Lucknow division. Specifically, procurement will begin on October 1 in Hardoi, Lakhimpur Kheri, and Sitapur, while it will start on November 1 in Lucknow, Rae Bareli, and Unnao, along with other areas in eastern UP. The minimum support price (MSP) for paddy has been set at Rs 2,300 per quintal, with paddy grade A priced at Rs 2,320 per quintal. Farmers will also receive a reimbursement of Rs 20 per quintal for unloading, sieving, and cleaning the paddy. To facilitate the sale of paddy by farmers across all districts in UP, a total of 4,000 purchase centres have been set up by the Food and Civil Supplies Department and other purchasing agencies. The Yogi government has directed that payments to farmers be processed within 48 hours. Registration for paddy purchase by the Department of Food and Civil Supplies began on September 1, and approximately 32,000 farmers have registered within the first 30 days across the state. The MSP for paddy is set at Rs 2,300 per quintal, while paddy grade A is priced at Rs 2,320 per quintal. According to the Agriculture Department, the area dedicated to paddy cultivation for the Kharif marketing year 2024-25 is 61.24 lakh hectares, with an estimated production of 265.54 lakh metric tonnes. The average yield is projected to be around 43.36 quintals per hectare. According to the Agriculture Department, the area dedicated to paddy cultivation for the Kharif marketing year 2024-25 is 61.24 lakh hectares, with an estimated production of 265.54 lakh metric tonnes. The average yield is projected to be around 43.36 quintals per hectare. Paddy procurement will commence on October 1 in the districts of western UP and will continue until January 31. This procurement process will take place in the Meerut, Saharanpur, Moradabad, Bareilly, Agra, Aligarh, and Jhansi divisions...////...