Prayagraj: Paddy procurement in eastern UP will start from Monday and continue till February 28, 2027. Govt has increased the MSP to ensure farmers get a fair price — Rs 2,441 per quintal for common paddy and Rs 2,461 per quintal for Grade A paddy.Raju Patel, Divisional Food Marketing Controller (Prayagraj), said a target of 5.63 lakh metric tonnes of paddy procurement has been set for the Prayagraj division. This includes specific targets of 2.8 lakh metric tonnes for Prayagraj district, 62,000 metric tonnes for Kaushambi, 1.15 lakh metric tonnes for Fatehpur, and 1.06 lakh metric tonnes for Pratapgarh.This time, govt has also implemented several new measures to ensure that the paddy procurement process is smooth, accessible, and transparent. Previously, online registration was mandatory for the procurement of paddy. However, farmers who have already completed their ‘farmer registration’ can now directly proceed to have their paddy weighed. The payment system for paddy procurement has also been improved. While it previously took 3–4 days to process payments, funds will now be credited directly to the farmer’s bank account within 48 hours following verification via the Public Financial Management System (PFMS). The transportation of paddy will be carried out exclusively using GPS-enabled trucks. Additionally, as a pilot project, rice sacks will be tracked using QR codes to help curb black marketing. To streamline the procurement process, 361 paddy procurement centres have been established across the division, including Prayagraj (159), Kaushambi (41), Fatehpur (65), and Pratapgarh (96).Patel, meanwhile, said that a total of 4,513 farmers in the division have registered so far. This includes 1,632 farmers from Prayagraj district, 946 from Kaushambi, 1,599 from Fatehpur, and 336 from Pratapgarh.