Nearly 1/3 of paddy lifted so far from Punjab mandis, says minister
Punjab’s paddy procurement drive has gained momentum, with over 3,120 mill owners applying for paddy allotment, 2,522 receiving stocks, and 1,550 mills signing agreements for storage and milling. The state food and civil supplies minister, Lal Chand Kataruchak, reported ₹5,683 crore in direct payments to farmers. Despite initial slowdowns, 2.5 lakh tonnes of paddy were lifted in a single day, out of 38.4 lakh tonnes procured so far.
Punjab food and civil supplies minister Lal Chand Kataruchak said over 3,120 mill owners have already applied for allotment of paddy, 2,522 have been allotted stocks and at least 1,550 rice mills have already executed agreements with state agencies for storage and milling of paddy.
The hopes to resolve the ongoing paddy procurement and lifting crisis in Punjab received a boost on Wednesday when 3,120 millers from the state came forward seeking allotment of paddy for shelling.
Punjab food and civil supplies minister Lal Chand Kataruchak said over 3,120 mill owners have already applied for allotment of paddy, 2,522 have been allotted stocks and at least 1,550 rice mills have already executed agreements with state agencies for storage and milling of paddy.
“A sum of ₹5,683 crore have been directly transferred to farmers’ accounts as crop payment,” he said, in a press release.
His statement came amid farmers complaining of “tardy” paddy procurement in the state.
Kataruchak further said that despite initial disruptions due to the reluctance of a few rice miller groups, the lifting process has gained momentum in all districts.
On the contrary, a miller, pleading anonymity, added that signing contracts with the food department is separate from lifting stocks from the mandis. “The glut can only be dealt with if millers agree to stock government stocks at their premises,” the miller said.
On Wednesday, the total paddy arrivals in the state mandis touched 38.4 lakh tonnes. Out of which, less than one-third or 10 lakh tonnes has been lifted. Interestingly, for the first time in 23 days since the procurement started, a total of 2.5 lakh tonnes was lifted on a single day on Wednesday, as per government figures.
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