Procurement of wheat begins at Sahnewal grain market

The Cabinet Minister for Revenue, Rehabilitation and Disaster Management, Water Supply and Sanitation and Housing and Urban Development, Hardeep Singh Mundian, along with SDM Ludhiana (East) Jasleen Bhullar and DFSC Shefali Chopra kick-started the procurement of wheat at the Sahnewal Grain Market here on Monday.

While speaking to mediapersons, Mundian said the Punjab Government had made arrangements to ensure hassle-free procurement of wheat in the state. He also said that no farmer would suffer due to delayed procurement and the entire process shall go on smoothly. Both procurement and payment shall be ensured within 24 hours of the purchase as per the orders of the Chief Minister, he added.

He said strict instructions had been issued to procurement agencies regarding timely payments. He promised to be available if anybody faced any problems with the procurement process.

He instructed the officials concerned to look into whether or not there was adequate arrangement of drinking water and power during this period of time. Mundian also asked the officials from the procurement agencies to immediately upload the details of the crops procured from farmers onto the portal, ensuring timely payments for the farmers. He also mentioned that farmers would receive payments at the minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 2,425 per quintal, which would directly be transferred to their accounts within 24 hours of sale.

“There will be zero tolerance for any delays or negligence in the procurement process. We are making efforts to establish coordination between farmers and procurement agencies so that the lifting is done smoothly,” said SDM Jasleen Bhullar.