Farmers to get payments within 24 hours of selling produce, systems in place for timely lifting of procured wheat

Cabinet Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond and Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Jain on Thursday initiated the wheat procurement season at Asia’s largest grain market in Khanna.

Addressing the farmers, Sond said the state government has made comprehensive and foolproof arrangements to ensure a smooth procurement process. He highlighted that Punjab has received a cash credit limit (CCL) of Rs 30,973 crore for April. The state has set a target of procuring 122 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of wheat, with arrangements in place to handle up to 132 LMT.

Sond further stated that this marks the ninth procurement season under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, during which every grain has been procured efficiently. He assured that wheat will be purchased at the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Rs 2,585 per quintal, and payments will be credited directly to farmers’ bank accounts within 24 hours. He emphasized that any delay or negligence in this process will not be tolerated.

Deputy Commissioner Jain informed that all necessary arrangements—such as storage facilities, cleanliness, electricity, drinking water and sanitation—have been ensured at the mandis. He added that farmers will be able to sell their produce and return home within 24 hours of arrival. He also stated that proper systems are in place for the timely lifting of procured wheat, with all related tenders already finalised. He also urged farmers to bring dry wheat to the mandis to facilitate smooth procurement.

Senior Superintendent of Police Dr Darpan Aluwalia, Additional Deputy Commissioner Jasnpreet Kaur Gill, Sub-Divisional Magistrate Swati Tiwana, Market Committee Chairman Jagtar Singh Gill Ratnehri, and other officials were present on the occasion.

Rains cause worry for farmers

Although the administration is making a foolproof arrangement for the farmers in mandis, the farmers are still very worried and anxious because, starting around 3:30 or 4 today, rain and strong winds have resumed. As a result, the farmers are once again facing difficulties, fearing that their standing crops will be flattened, which will have a very detrimental impact on the grain in the fields.

Tarsem Jodhan, a farmer leader from Jodhan said that this unseasonal rain, accompanied by strong winds, is extremely harmful to our standing crops. At a time when the crops are fully mature and ready for harvest, such rain will soak the soil completely, preventing us from using machinery for harvesting and forcing us to rely on manual labour, which we know will delay the harvesting process.