Bhagat initiates procurement of paddy in city grain market

Punjab Minister Mohinder Bhagat on Tuesday initiated the procurement of paddy in the main grain market of Jalandhar district.

Farmer Jagdeep Singh from Nauli village near Adampur expressed his gratitude to the government for the immediate purchase of his paddy brought to the mandi and for ensuring proper arrangements.

The minister said that no farmer would face any difficulty in the mandis as the government had ensured robust arrangements. He also directed the District Mandi Officer and District Food and Civil Supplies Controller to make sure that there was no shortage of facilities for farmers and labourers in the mandis. He added that he would continuously review the procurement arrangements.

Bhagat said that the Punjab Government would ensure smooth and hassle-free procurement of paddy so that farmers can be supported in every possible way during this difficult time caused by floods.

He further said that despite the challenges caused by the recent floods, foolproof arrangements have been made across Punjab to ensure that farmers did not face any problem in selling their crop. He informed that the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for paddy had been fixed at Rs 2,389 per quintal and that the government had already secured a Cash Credit Limit (CCL) of Rs 15,000 crore for September and Rs 27,000 crore for October. He also mentioned that adequate arrangements had been made for gunny bags to prevent inconvenience to farmers.

The Cabinet Minister assured that lifting and payments would be carried out simultaneously, and the payment for the procured crop would be transferred directly into the farmers’ bank accounts. He also directed officials of the Food and Civil Supplies Department, Mandi Board and district administration to personally monitor operations to ensure transparency and efficiency in the mandis.

The minister appealed to farmers to bring only fully dried paddy to the mandis, as high moisture content could hinder procurement. Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Amaninder Kaur, Chairman Improvement Trust Ramneek Singh Randhawa, AAP leader Rajwinder Kaur Thiara, Dinesh Dhall, Nitin Kohli, DMO Arvinder Singh, DFSC Harveen Kaur, and officers from various departments were also present on the occasion.