In a proactive move, the Punjab Government has initiated preparations for the upcoming paddy procurement season, four months in advance. The State Government has formed a Group of Ministers (GoM) to supervise and streamline the procurement process, with the objective of ensuring smooth, transparent, and efficient operations across the state during the Kharif Marketing Season 2025.
The first meeting of the GoM — headed by Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian and includes Food and Civil Supplies Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak, Transport Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar, and Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal as its members — was convened at Punjab Bhawan in Chandigarh on Tuesday. The meeting also saw a detailed presentation from Principal Secretary (Food and Civil Supplies) Rahul Tiwari, who outlined the operational roadmap for the procurement season slated to begin on October 1, 2025, and continue until mid-November.
One of the major challenges addressed in the meeting was the availability of adequate storage space. The GoM was informed that the government is working on a war footing to ensure that at least 40 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of additional storage space is created by December 2025, with an ambitious target of 82-83 LMT by June 2026. This initiative aimed at avoiding the logistical bottlenecks experienced in previous years and ensure that incoming paddy is stored safely and systematically.