Assam achieves all-time high paddy procurement at 7 lakh MT: Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday announced a historic milestone in the state’s agricultural sector, revealing that Assam has recorded its highest-ever paddy procurement, reaching 6.97 lakh metric tonnes (MT) during the Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2024–25.

Taking to social media platform X, the Chief Minister stated, “We are proud to announce the successful conclusion of KMS 2024–25 with a record paddy procurement of 6.97 lakh MT — the highest ever!”

This year’s procurement marks a more than two-fold increase from the 3.14 lakh MT procured during the 2023–24 season and a significant rise from 5.92 lakh MT in 2022–23, indicating a sustained upward trend in state-led agricultural interventions.

CM Sarma credited the achievement to the government’s focused efforts on ensuring market connectivity and guaranteed Minimum Support Price (MSP) for farmers. “This remarkable achievement reflects our commitment to ensuring that our farmers are connected to markets and the MSP they rightfully deserve,” he said.

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Earlier, the government had set a target of 5.85 lakh MT for the current KMS, which has been exceeded by over one lakh metric tonnes, underlining strong procurement mechanisms and increasing farmer participation.

In a separate announcement, Sarma also highlighted Assam’s growing footprint in the global agri-export market. He said that farmers from Majuli — the world's largest river island — have exported 267 MT of Red Rice to the Middle East and European Union markets, showcasing the international demand for the region’s nutrient-rich produce.

The exported red rice was cultivated over 1,000 hectares of land in Majuli, and the move is being seen as a boost to “Brand Assam”, providing higher returns to farmers and enhancing the state’s agricultural identity on the global stage.