Punjab paddy procurement crosses 101 lakh metric tonnes, Rs 20,713 crore released to farmers
A total of 101.96 lakh metric tonnes of paddy has been procured across state mandis so far, with payments transferred to the bank accounts of over 4.71 lakh farmers.
Government agencies have procured 101.96 lakh metric tonnes of paddy in the grain markets of Punjab so far. Along with this, an amount of Rs 20,713.24 crore has been directly sent to the bank accounts of more than 4.71 lakh farmers.
Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Lal Chand Kataruchakk shared these details during a meeting called to review the procurement season. He stated that farmers are being given the minimum support price of Rs 2,461 per quintal for their crop.
According to the Minister, the lifting of paddy from the mandis is also being handled swiftly. So far, 70 lakh metric tonnes of paddy has been lifted, which is about 86 percent based on the 72-hour lifting cycle.
More than 2,500 mandis are operating in the state to run the procurement smoothly. Lal Chand Kataruchakk said that Punjab will easily fulfill its target of procuring 180 lakh metric tonnes of paddy this time.
Meanwhile, the Minister instructed departmental officials that paddy brought from outside Punjab should not be allowed to be sold in the mandis here under any circumstances. He said that strict vigil should be maintained to stop the illegal sale of outside paddy to protect the rights of local farmers.
Principal Secretary Food and Civil Supplies Rahul Tiwari, Director Varinder Kumar Sharma, Additional Director Dr. Anjuman Bhaskar, Ajayveer Singh Sarao and General Manager (Finance) Sarvesh Kumar were also present in the meeting.
Key developments
- 101.96 lakh metric tonnes paddy procured in mandis
- Rs 20,713.24 crore released to over 4.71 lakh farmers
- Farmers getting MSP of Rs 2,461 per quintal
- 70 lakh metric tonnes of paddy lifted so far
- Directions issued to stop illegal sale of outside paddy
