Centre ensures adequate arrangements for paddy procurement in Punjab

More than 2200 Mandis are functional currently in Punjab for paddy procurement this year

Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution met with the Chief Minister of Punjab, to discuss issues related to the ongoing paddy procurement in KMS 2024-25 in Punjab. Paddy procurement in Punjab commenced in Punjab on 1st October 2024 and is proceeding smoothly.

Procurement of 124.14 lakh metric tonnes of rice was estimated from Punjab last year, in KMS 2023-24, which was 100 per cent achieved. This year for KMS 2024-25, the Government of India has already approved an estimated procurement of 124 lakh tonnes of rice from Punjab which is equivalent to 185 lakh tonnes of paddy and the Government of India is procuring the same from the State without any restrictions.

More than 2200 Mandis are functional currently in Punjab for paddy procurement this year and as of 13.10.2024, out of the total arrival of around 7.0 lakh tonnes of paddy, approx. 6.0 lakh tonnes have already been procured for the central pool. Paddy procurement will continue as usual till 30.11.2024.

Adequate storage arrangements have been made to avoid any difficulty in the smooth operation of paddy procurement. To accommodate the inflow of CMR (Custom Milled Rice), a detailed plan has already been prepared to provide about 40 lakh tonnes of storage space by liquidating previous stocks of wheat as well as that of rice from the covered godowns available in Punjab by December 2024.

To ensure that farmers do not face any difficulty during procurement operations, adequate arrangements including online registration of farmers, integration of land records, digital procurement operations and online transfer of MSP payments, have been made. Arrangements have been made to ensure full payment of MSP to farmers directly into their bank accounts, usually within 48 hours.