Kailali. Dhangadhi: The Food Management and Trade Company Limited (FMTC) has started purchasing paddy in Kailali district. The company has set up purchase centres at six different places of the district from today and started purchasing paddy from farmers.

Paddy is being purchased from Mohanpur, Tikapur, Satti, Gauriganga, Bhajani and Joshipur districts at the minimum support price fixed by the government, said Deepak Thapa, chief of the office. According to him, coarse paddy will be purchased in the district and this year the government has fixed the minimum support price of coarse paddy at Rs 3,463.81 per quintal.

He said, “This year, the company’s paddy procurement quota for the first phase in the district is 35,000 quintals. Thapa said that the farmers should bring identity documents, recommendation from the ward where the farmer is certified and a copy of the cheque for selling the paddy.

Farmers will get the support price fixed by the government after the farmers started purchasing paddy. Earlier, farmers were compelled to sell paddy to traders at a lower price. Last year, the company had set 55,000 quintals of paddy in the district, but only 34,500 quintals were purchased, said Thapa.