Khanna (Ludhiana), October 7
The Paddy procurement is going on smoothly throughout the State and 8.50 lakh metric tonnes of paddy has arrived in the grain markets of Punjab, out of which 7.50 lakh metric tonnes has been procured by various government procurement agencies.
This was disclosed by Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister, Punjab, Lal Chand Kataruchak, while reviewing the paddy procurement arrangements at Jagraon grain market. On this occasion, he was accompanied by MLA from Jagraon – Sarvjit Kaur Manuke.
The Cabinet Minister said that during the paddy procurement season 2026-27, a target of procuring 180 lakh metric tonnes of paddy has been fixed and the farmers’ crop is being purchased at Rs. 2461 per quintal. He informed that a Cash Credit Limit (CCL) of Rs. 42,786.68 crore has been released by the RBI for paddy procurement, ensuring immediate and hassle-free payment to farmers after purchase. He said that bardana has also reached the mandis.
Kataruchak assured that the Punjab Government will procure every single grain of the crop and no one will be allowed to bring paddy from other states into Punjab’s mandis. He said that no difficulty will be allowed to be faced by farmers and arhtiyas during the procurement season.
He informed that as per the directions of Chief Minister Mr. Bhagwant Singh Mann, he is visiting various grain markets of Punjab to review the procurement arrangements and Ludhiana is his 11th district. He said that payment for the procured crop is being made into the farmers’ bank accounts within 24 hours.
The Cabinet Minister directed the officials that there should be no difficulty regarding transport, payment, bardana and lifting. He said that farmers are ‘Annadatas’ and they should be treated with full respect. He appealed to the farmers to bring only dry and clean paddy to the mandis, so that immediate procurement of the crop can be done.
Expressing satisfaction over the arrangements at Jagraon grain market, Mr. Kataruchak said that it is a large grain market and the arrangements made in the mandi, including lights at a cost of about Rs. 2.5 crore by MLA Sarvjit Kaur Manuke, are commendable.
Regarding stubble management, he said that saving Punjab’s water, air and land from pollution is everyone’s shared responsibility. The Minister also expressed hope that farmers will not burn stubble and with the efforts of the State Government, great success will be achieved in protecting the environment.
MLA Sarvjit Kaur Manuke said that under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, the interests of farmers are most important for the Punjab Government. She said that farmers should not be allowed to face any harassment while selling their crop in the mandis. She also appealed to the farmers to bring only dry and clean paddy to the mandis as per the prescribed moisture norms, so that unnecessary delay in procurement can be avoided.