Patna, Dec. 30: State cooperative department minister Alok Kumar Mehta today attacked the Centre for delaying permission to the state government to procure from farmers paddy carrying moisture content of more than 17 per cent.

"We wrote to the Centre to allow us to procure the paddy carrying more than 17 per cent moisture to give relief to the farmers. However, the Centre has not responded till now," Mehta told journalists today.

The cooperative department buys paddy from farmers through primary agricultural credit societies. As per the parameter fixed by the Centre, paddy carrying more than 17 per cent moisture is not sold at the credit societies.

There are a total 8,480 such credit societies in the state, out of which paddy procurement is taking place at 6,280 centres.

This year, the estimated paddy production in Bihar is around 1.3 crore metric tonnes. Last year's figure was 80 lakh metric tonnes.

The state government had started the paddy procurement drive at the fixed minimum support price (MSP) from November 15. Till now, 22,000 metric tonnes of paddy has been procured from 3192 farmers through credit societies and the state food corporation. The cooperative department has made payment of Rs 12 crore for the paddy, through RTGS (bank transfer).

The MSP farmers get for paddy is Rs 1,470 per quintal and as per the new initiative farmers have to register at credit societies to sell their paddy. Till now, 2.93 lakh farmers have applied of which only 40,000 farmers have been verified.

Senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi has accused the state of forcing the farmers to make distress sales of their paddy crop. He has alleged that farmers were facing problems due to lack of preparation regarding procurement.

Mehta said the BJP leader was not aware of procedures.

"It is very easy to issue comment without knowing the procedures of paddy procurement," Mehta said. "We are trying our level best to bring transparency. I must also tell you that demonetisation has badly affected the farmers as they were not allowed to deposit money in the district cooperative banks. There are 1.17 crore bank accounts in the cooperative banks and all were badly affected.

"The Centre is not helping us in increasing the paddy procurement from the farmers by allowing them to sell their paddy more," he stressed.

R.P. Singh, cooperative societies and state nodal officer (procurement), Bihar, said the letter to the Centre was sent in first week of November.