The opposition Congress in Chhattisgarh has demanded extension of the paddy procurement drive in the state till March 1, claiming that more than five lakh farmers are yet to sell their produce. The procurement drive, started on November 1 last year, is scheduled to end on January 31. The paddy procurement drive should be extended till March 1 so that the target of purchase can be achieved and farmers can sell their produce, state Congress chief and MP Deepak Baij said in a statement on Wednesday. More than five lakh farmers are yet to sell their paddy, he claimed. Before the newly elected BJP government in December last year ordered to procure 21 quintals paddy per acre, a large number of farmers had already sold 20 quintals paddy per acre as fixed by the previous Congress government and they are yet to sell the additional one quintal paddy per acre, he said. The previous Congress government had set a target of purchasing 135 lakh metric tonnes of paddy in the kharif marketing sea Read The Rest at :