Paddy procurement begins at Rayya Dana Mandi

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, October 3

Paddy procurement began from the Rayya Dana Mandi in the presence of Deputy Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Khaira and Baba Bakala MLA Santokh Singh Bhalaipur (in pic) on Sunday.

Speaking on the occasion, the Deputy Commissioner asked farmers not to bring crop with moisture content more than the permissible limit as it would cause problems in procurement by government agencies.

As per the government instructions, the paddy yield with moisture content of up to 17 per cent was fit for procurement. The moisture exceeding the limit would result in procurement agencies not procuring that particular lot.

The DC further said paddy should not be harvested during night as the grains harvested during the night have more moisture content. He added that combine harvesters with Super Straw Management System should be used for harvesting as it helps in management of paddy stubble without burning.

He also warned the commission agents against bogus billing of paddy and asked them not to purchase paddy being smuggled from other states. He said strict action would be taken if any such reports were received.

MLA Bhalaipur said though the Central Government had postponed the paddy procurement till October 31, it had agreed to start the process earlier after the intervention of Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi. He said the government would ensure that farmers face no trouble in selling their produce.

While the procurement has begun, the harvesting of crop is yet to pick pace in the district. Heavy rain on Saturday further delayed harvesting as more moisture in the soil has made it difficult for heavy combine harvesters to operate in the fields.

While no data is as yet available for the paddy procured by government agencies on Sunday, the district has witnessed the arrival of 62,696 MT of basmati varieties till date.

Process starts in Tarn Taran too

Tarn Taran: Paddy procurement began at Tarn Taran and Chabal grain markets on Sunday. The procurement process was inaugurated by local MLA Dr Dharambeer Agnihotri and Deputy Commissioner Kulwant Singh (in pic right). Dr Agnihotri said the procurement process could be possible with the efforts of CM Charanjit Singh Channi, who met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday and stressed on the need to procure paddy without delay for the welfare of farmers. The crop had been reaching the grain market for the last more than a month and was being procured by private firms only. OC