Govt agencies procure over 2.63 lakh MT of paddy in dist

The procurement of paddy is going on smoothly in the district, and so far, 2,63,868 metric tonnes (MT) of paddy have been purchased by various government agencies, including Pungrain, Markfed, Punsup, Punjab Warehousing Corporation and the Food Corporation of India (FCI).

Officials said that along with the procurement, payment to farmers and lifting of the purchased crop from mandis is being done simultaneously. The authorities have been instructed to ensure that farmers do not face any kind of problem in the grain markets and to personally monitor the ongoing operations.The government has fixed the minimum support price (MSP) for paddy at Rs 2,389 per quintal, with a moisture limit of 17 per cent. Farmers have been assured that the government will procure every grain of paddy brought to the mandis. They have been advised to bring properly dried paddy to avoid any delay in procurement.

District Food and Supplies Officer (DFSO) Amanjit Singh said that payment to farmers is being made within 48 hours of procurement, and so far, about 98 per cent of farmers have received their payments on time. He appealed to the farmers to bring only dry paddy to the mandis so that their crops can be purchased immediately without any hurdles.