Farmers urged to bring only fully dried paddy to mandis

The district administration has appealed to the farmers to bring only fully ripened and properly dried paddy to the grain markets as the permissible moisture limit in grains has been fixed at 17 per cent. Officials said harvesting immature or moist paddy not only affects the quality but also leads to difficulties during procurement. The farmers have been advised to wait till the crop matures completely and ensure proper drying before bringing it to the grain markets.

Meanwhile, Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Lal Chand Kataruchakk visited the Rayya grain market nearby in the district to review the ongoing paddy procurement operations. Speaking to mediapersons, the minister said so far, around 2.56 lakh metric tonnes of paddy has arrived in mandis across the state, out of which nearly 2.41 lakh MT has already been purchased. Payments of about Rs 444 crore have been transferred into the farmers’ bank accounts, he said.

Kataruchakk said the state government has made elaborate arrangements for smooth procurement across 1,822 centres established in Punjab since September 16. The state has been given a target of 172 lakh MT of paddy, but procurement arrangements have been made for up to 190 lakh MT, he added. The minister also highlighted that the state has received a CCL (cash credit limit) of Rs 15,000 crore for September and Rs 27,000 crore for October to ensure timely payments.

He assured the farmers that every single grain of their hard-earned produce would be procured and the lifting process was also being carried out simultaneously. He said the farmers should avoid stubble burning to prevent environmental degradation.

During the visit, the minister interacted with farmers and appealed to them to harvest the ripened crop. He said the procurement of grains would continue till harvesting is complete and as such farmers need not be in a hurry.