The Reserve Bank of India has enhanced the cash credit limit (CCL) for procurement of paddy during the ongoing Kharif season to Rs 43,526.23 crores up to November 2022.
The state Food and Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak on Tuesday said that timely purchase, payment, and lifting is going on in each mandi where any farmer has brought his produce from the day one of the procurement.
Giving details of the MSP payments, the Minister said that MSP payment of Rs 20,086 crores has been released directly in the bank accounts of farmers till Monday, on completion of first month of procurement season and nearly 5.60 lakh farmers have been benefited from MSP so far.
He reaffirmed the commitment of the State Government to purchase every single grain produced with the sweat and toil of the farmer.
The state Principal Secretary (Food and Civil Supplies) Rahul Bhandari said that all the Deputy Commissioners have been asked to daily review or monitor procurement, lifting and payments operations.
“With the approval of CCL, MSP payments will continue to be made seamlessly. …Lifting of nearly 6.5-seven LMT paddy is being done every day,” he said.
As per the State Government Procurement Policy and Punjab Mandi Board bye laws, lifting of paddy is to be done within 72 hours. Accordingly, 99 per cent of the paddy procured before 72 hours has already been lifted as per reports received from districts.
Govt reviews paddy procurement operations in Patiala, Sangrur, and Malerkotla
Meanwhile, Punjab’s Principal Secretary, Food and Civil Supplies, Rahul Bhandari, reviewing the ongoing paddy procurement operations by visiting the grain markets at Malerkotla, Dhuri, and Rajpura on Tuesday, said that the State Government is committed for ensuring smooth and hassle-free procurement in the ongoing season to facilitate the farmers.
Bhandari said that the State Government will lift every single grain of paddy in a smooth and hassle-free manner during the ongoing marketing season. “The State Government has made elaborate arrangements to ensure that the harvest of farmers is lifted from the grain markets in a smooth and hassle-free manner. The farmers will not be allowed to face any sort of problem while selling their produce in the mandis,” he said.
Reiterating the Chief Minister’s assertion that the entire process of procurement and lifting will be completed within a week, Bhandari said that till October 31, around 118.83 LMT of paddy has arrived in the State out of which nearly 116.12 LMT has been procured and 93.54 LMT has been lifted, and the payment, worth Rs 20,085 crore, has also been transferred so far in the bank accounts of the farmers.
The Principal Secretary said that besides procurement, a robust mechanism has been evolved for the proper transportation and storage of the grains. “In the current procurement season, 1806 grain markets have been notified and 579 temporary yards have also been notified.
“Chiefs of all procurement agencies have been asked to personally supervise the paddy procurement operations to ensure prompt and smooth lifting of paddy as per their allotted share of procurement,” he added.
Reiterating the state government’s firm commitment to procure every single grain of paddy, the Principal Secretary said that during the current procurement season, not even a single complaint has been received from the farmers across the State. “Directions have already been given to officers to make foolproof arrangements in mandis to avoid wastage of the produce,” he said while asking the officers concerned to make sure that farmers do not face any sort inconvenience while selling their produce in the mandis.