Armed with modern techniques and a kindly monsoon, Chhattisgarh's farmers have reaped a record paddy harvest this kharif season.

According to agriculture department officials, the state is heading for a bumper paddy harvest despite a slight reduction in acreage compared with the previous year.

The output of paddy is expected to touch 6.13 million tonnes this season despite the acreage falling to 3.83 lakh hectares from the previous year's 3.85 lakh hectares. The estimate is 15 per cent more than the previous year's paddy production.

Scientists attribute this success to modern methods adopted by the farmers, new seeds and good monsoon rains.

Though the paddy acreage registered a slight decrease, the acreage for Dalhan (pulses) and Tilhan (oilseeds) crops has increased by 3 and 7 per cent, respectively.

According to officials, more farmers are switching over to Dalhan and Tilhan crops for bigger profits now.

This year, the Chhattisgarh government has set a target to procure 4 million tonnes of paddy. With the kharif rice output touching an all-time high in the last couple of years, a similar crop can be expected during the current season.

However, traders said the arrival of paddy in the market is very slow. But arrivals cannot be a measure for establishing a crop failure.

Generally, farmers stock paddy after harvest and wait for the right opportunity to sell. Since they can earn more from the market, farmers avoid selling paddy to the societies for minimum support price and wait for the government's last call before deciding to sell the stock.

This year, the state government will pay Rs 775 a quintal, including Rs 100 bonus as MSP for A-grade paddy.

1 lakh = 100,000