Punjab's Paddy Procurement Saga: Farmers Demand Action

State mandirs in Punjab have lifted only 2.62 lakh metric tonnes of paddy out of a total procurement of 16.37 lakh MT amid farmer protests against slow procurement. The state government is urging rice millers to continue operations. Concerns include storage space and the PR-126 paddy variety's out-turn ratio.

The Punjab Food and Civil Supplies Minister, Lal Chand Kataruchak, announced on Saturday that 2.62 lakh metric tonnes of paddy have been lifted from state mandis, out of a total procurement of 16.37 lakh MT. The announcement comes amid ongoing farmer protests over the sluggish pace of paddy procurement.

Farmers, backed by state rice millers and commission agents, have raised concerns about the slow pace, causing a glut in mandis. The rice millers are also worried about storage space shortages and the out-turn ratio of the PR-126 paddy variety, which they say will cause substantial financial losses.

In response, Kataruchak reassured that space for storing new crops will be available, with plans for the Food Corporation of India to move 13 lakh MT of stock out of Punjab. He also mentioned upcoming space availability and efforts to meet the rice millers' demands.

(With inputs from agencies.)