Assam State Agriculture Marketing Board (ASAMB) has decided to procure rice from State farmers at a minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 1,900 per quintal this fiscal against Rs 1,500 per quintal last fiscal. Disclosing this to this reporter, ASAMB vice chairman Manoj Baruah said: “This year we’re set to procure 40,000 MT rice against 16,000 MT. The Board is going to form four committees for procuring paddy from various districts in the State. This is very much in our policy to give succour to the farmers and taking that in mind we do procure paddy and potato directly from farmers. In fiscal 2016-17 as much as 16,000 MT of paddy costing around Rs 24 crore was procured through 41 specified paddy procuring centres in the State. The rate of the paddy was fixed at around Rs 1,500 quintal. We procured paddy in 2017-18 also. This year we’ve decided to raise the MSP. Baruah further said that despite the imposition of GST in the State, the State Government is going to collect cess on goods entering the State as is done in other States in the country. Earlier, since there were gates there was a system. With the dismantling of gates now, we have to send to our collectors to establishments to collect such cess. GST has nothing to do with cess, and added that if the price of sugar is Rs 45 a kg its cess would be Rs 0.45, raising the market price of sugar to Rs 45.45 a kg.