Paddy procurement in Punjab on smooth track, Centre after meeting Mann

Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Pralhad Joshi with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann during a meeting, in New Delhi, on October 14, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Adequate storage arrangements have been made to avoid difficulty in smooth operation of paddy procurement, the Union Food Ministry said in New Delhi on Monday (October 14, 2024 after a meeting between Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Union Food Minister Pralhad Joshi on the matter. The Centre’s assurance comes in the wake of the Opposition party Congress blaming both the State and Union governments for the alleged delay in the procurement of paddy.

The Centre said paddy procurement in Punjab for this kharif marketing season (KMS) commenced on October 1 and was proceeding smoothly. “Procurement of 124.14 lakh metric tonnes of rice was estimated from Punjab last year, in KMS 2023-24, which was 100% achieved. This year for KMS 2024-25, Government of India has already approved an estimated procurement of 124 lakh tonnes of rice from Punjab which is equivalent to 185 lakh tonnes of paddy and Government of India is procuring the same from the State without any restrictions,” the Food Ministry said.

At present, more than 2,200 local markets are functional in Punjab for paddy procurement, and out of the total arrival of around seven lakh tonnes of paddy, approximately six lakh tonnes have already been procured for the Central pool. Paddy procurement will continue as usual till November 30.

“Adequate storage arrangements have been made to avoid any difficulty in smooth operation of paddy procurement. To accommodate the inflow of CMR (Custom Milled Rice), a detailed plan has already been prepared to provide about 40 lakh tonnes of storage space by liquidating previous stocks of wheat as well as that of rice from the covered godowns available in Punjab by December 2024,” the Union government said.

Earlier, during the meeting, Mr. Mann had told Mr. Joshi that due to persistent shortage of storage space during the previous season and availability of only about seven lakh tonnes storage space at present, rice millers were unhappy. He asked Mr. Joshi to ensure smooth procurement operations and movement to ensure liquidation of at least 20 lakh metric tonnes of food grains a month from the State till March 31, 2025, by augmenting the movement plan through Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS), ethanol allocation, export, welfare schemes and others.

Meanwhile, the Congress warned both the Centre and the State against an impending agrarian crisis in Punjab due to the non-availability of storage space for about 185 lakh metric tonnes of paddy, which is likely to arrive in the market by the end of the current procurement season. Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly and senior Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa alleged that it was a well thought out conspiracy by the ruling BJP at the Centre and the AAP in the State to destroy Punjab’s economy.

“The main cash crop of Punjab is paddy. Paddy production in Punjab is 180-185 lakh metric tonnes, of which 99% of the rice goes to the Central pool and PDS system,” Mr. Bajwa told reporters at the AICC headquarters here. “Bhagwant Mann should have met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mr. Joshi six months ago as our godowns are full and do not even have five per cent capacity,” he said.