Paddy procurement in Kapurthala district crosses 20,000 metric tonnes

The ongoing paddy procurement season in Kapurthala district has gathered pace, with purchases surpassing the 20,000 metric tonne (MT) mark. Officials expect procurement to accelerate further in the coming days.

Deputy Commissioner Amit Kumar Panchal said the district had set a procurement target of 8.20 lakh metric tonnes for the current season. Till last evening, agencies had procured 19,837 metric tonnes of paddy.

Among government agencies, Markfed led with 8,420 metric tonnes, followed by Pungrain with 6,747 metric tonnes, Punsup with 2,971 metric tonnes and the Punjab State Warehousing Corporation with 812 metric tonnes.

Panchal assured farmers that timely payments were being made, adding that Rs 37.25 crore had already been transferred to their bank accounts. He further confirmed that adequate gunny bags were available in the mandis and that officials of the Mandi Board and the Food and Civil Supplies Department had been directed to provide all necessary facilities to farmers, labourers and commission agents.

Appealing to farmers, the Deputy Commissioner urged them to bring only dry paddy to the mandis in line with government norms on moisture content. He also advised that harvesting should be carried out only between 10 am and 6 pm to avoid quality issues and instructed that only approved machines equipped with SMS facilities be used.