1.92 LMT of parmal, 4.46 LMT of basmati procured in mandis

A total of 1,92,368 metric tonnes (MT) of parmal produce reached the markets till Tuesday evening. Officials of the district mandi stated that 1,91,332 MT of parmal has already been procured and over Rs 392 crore has been disbursed to the farmers.

The mandi officials said nearly 60 per cent of the procured stocks have already been lifted from the markets and efforts are being made to expedite the process.

Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney said the procurement process is going on smoothly in all 29 grain markets of the district. She said there is no truth in the rumours doing the rounds that a cut in the MSP will be made. She said if any farmer faces any problem, he can contact the telephone helpline (7973867446) set up for the farmers.

Meanwhile, Cabinet Minister Kuldeep Dhaliwal during a visit to grain markets in Ajnala assured the farmers that every grain of their produce would be purchased. He said the government would not allow exploitation on the pretext of more moisture in the grains. Dhaliwal also appealed to the farmers to bring fully ripened crop to the markets so that it could be procured on the same day.

Dhaliwal also accused the BJP-led Central Government of creating hurdles which have affected the procurement process. He said the Punjab Government is making all-out efforts to address the problems being faced by paddy cultivators.