Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister reiterates State Government’s commitment to procure every grain, No outside paddy to be allowed in Punjab mandis
Chandigarh, September 28:
Ahead of the upcoming Paddy procurement season scheduled to commence on October 1, the State of Punjab has received a major shot in the arm in the form of Cash Credit Limit (CCL) to the tune of Rs. 42786.68 Crore which has been sanctioned for the month of October.
The Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Mr. Lal Chand Kataruchak while disclosing this in a statement here today said that the CCL would result in the accelerated and unhindered payments to the farmers for their paddy procured by the State Government.
Divulging more, the Minister said that 5 Lakh Bardana has also been received by the Department for the packaging of paddy which would be brought by the farmers to the mandis.
The State has got the target of procuring 180 Lakh Metric Tonnes (LMT) of Paddy for the 2026-27 season, said Mr. Kataruchak adding that the produce of the farmers would be procured by the State Government at the rate of Rs.2461 Per Quintal.
For ensuring the smooth and hassle free procurement operations, as many as 1887 Mandis have been notified till now and more such mandis would be operationalized depending upon the requirement.
Reiterating the whole hearted commitment of the State Government led by the Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann to procure every single grain produced so labourously by the farmers, Mr. Kataruchak said that directions have been given to the District Food Supply Controllers (DFSCs) to make sure that no paddy from outside Punjab is sold in the mandis of State. Besides, adequate arrangements have also been ensured with regard to clean drinking water and medical supplies to cater for the labour force engaged in the unloading and packaging work in mandis.
Our aim is to protect the interests of all the stakeholders connected with the procurement network viz. Farmers, Arhtiyas and the Labourers.
Revealing further, the Minister also disclosed that he would be conducting personal visits to the mandis with a view to take stock of the procurement process and ensure its smooth running
