Punjab/Jalandhar: Official procurement of paddy under the Kharif marketing season is going on in full swing across Punjab. Comprehensive arrangements have been made by the state government to keep the procurement process completely smooth in terms of finance and administration. According to information shared by the Department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has sanctioned a massive Cash Credit Limit (CCL) of 42,786 crore rupees for Punjab for the ongoing procurement season. With this major financial sanction, adequate funds will remain fully available for procurement operations across all mandis of Punjab, and farmers will not face any delays in payments.

188 crore rupees paid to farmers and strict orders for payment within 24 hours:

A total payment of 188 crore rupees has so far been made to farmers in exchange for the paddy purchased across Punjab's mandis. The departmental minister has issued strict directions to all state procurement agencies to ensure that payment reaches the bank accounts of farmers within 24 hours of the purchase entry being logged in the mandi. The government stated that the payment process has been kept fully transparent and time-bound.

Official target of 180 lakh metric tonnes procurement:

The Punjab government has set an ambitious target of procuring a total of 180 lakh metric tonnes of paddy for the state quota during this procurement season. According to the minister, the state government and procurement agencies such as Pungrain, Markfed, Punsup, PSWC (State Warehousing Corporation), and FCI are fully prepared to achieve this target successfully on time.

Instructions to speed up lifting and proper arrangement of gunny bags:

To prevent congestion in the mandis and ensure open space for incoming produce, the minister instructed officials to further accelerate the lifting speed of procured paddy in the coming days. Alongside this, the government assured farmers and commission agents (arhtiyas) that there is no shortage of gunny bags (bardana) in any mandi of the state, and all necessary arrangements have been completed for smooth procurement.

Procurement picks up speed in Jalandhar district:

Looking at the district-level report, procurement has gained strong momentum in Jalandhar district as well. During the first five days in Jalandhar, a total of 39,191 metric tonnes of paddy arrived in the mandis, out of which 38,961 metric tonnes of paddy has already been purchased by government agencies. In exchange for this procured paddy, a payment of 95 crore rupees has so far been transferred directly into the bank accounts of farmers in Jalandhar district.

Appeal to bring paddy with 17 percent moisture content:

The administration and the Food and Civil Supplies Department have specially advised farmers to bring only dry paddy with 17 percent or lower moisture content to the grain markets. Officials stated that if the produce is within the specified moisture limit, there will be no delay in purchase and weighing, and farmers will not face any inconvenience in the mandis. Farmers have been urged to harvest crops with combine harvesters only after the morning dew has dried up.