Patna: The issue of slow procurement of paddy continued to paralyse Bihar assembly on Monday with BJP MLAs protesting outside the house against the state government.
The BJP MLAs reached the house with placards and shouted slogans against Nitish Kumar-led JD (U) government in the state. The BJP alleged that the delay in procurement has put farmers in great hardship.
Last week too, the issue had rocked the Bihar assembly with the government and the Opposition indulging in an intense war or words.
The Opposition alleged that against a target of procuring 30 lakh tonnes of paddy by March 31, the state government had purchased not more than 10 lakh tonnes so far.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has said the government was ready for any kind of discussion on such an important issue and asked the Chair to decide date and time for it.
Last year, the Bihar government declared 33 of its 38 districts as drought-hit on account of poor rains during monsoon. The state recorded 25 percent deficit in its annual rainfall.
After attaining record paddy production of over 80 lakh tonnes in the last kharif season, Bihar has harvested around 50 lakh tonnes of paddy this year as poor rains in July-August badly hit transplantation of paddy.
Rice production in Bihar was 36.4 lakh tonnes in 2009-10 which increased to 81.87 lakh tonnes in 2011-12 and 87 lakh tonnes in 2012-13.
