Wheat Procurement by Government agencies crosses 100 Lakh Metric Tonnes in the shortest ever span of two weeks

Wheat Procurement by Government agencies crosses 100 Lakh Metric Tonnes in the shortest ever span of two weeks

MSP payment of over Rs 22000 Crores made directly into accounts of farmers

Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak personally visiting mandis to take stock of procurement operations

Chandigarh, April 28:

In a major milestone, the Wheat procurement by the Government agencies has crossed 100 Lakh Metric Tonnes (LMT) today in the shortest ever span of two weeks. The arrivals of wheat had picked up on 14th April and till today, i e. during a span of 2 weeks, the Govt agencies have already procured 103.4 LMT.

The total arrival as of now stands at 107.26 Lakh MT out of which 104.29 LAKH MT stands procured.

Out of the procured Wheat, the various Government agencies have procured 103.4 Lakh MT while the traders have procured 90434 MT.

It is noteworthy that this record breaking milestone has been achieved by the Department in a span of just two weeks.

From amongst the Government agencies, PUNSUP has procured 23.99 Lakh MT, Markfed 26.98 Lakh MT, PUNGRAIN (DCP) 7.55 Lakh MT, FCI 2 Lakh MT, PUNGRAIN (NON DCP) 25.95 Lakh MT and PSWC 16.90 Lakh MT.

Lauding the efforts of the department in this regard, the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Mr. Lal Chand Kataruchak today said that the Punjab Government under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann stands fully committed to procure every single bale of Grain produced so laboriously by the farming community.

The Minister further stated that he has personally visited the mandis throughout the State to take stock of the procurement operations so as to make sure that no stone is left unturned in ensuring a hassle free procurement season. He has also held interactions with all the stakeholders i.e. Farmers, Arhtiyas and the Labourers to get a full 360 degree view of the procurement process and ascertain their suggestions besides redressal of grievances.

On the payments front, Minimum Support Price of over Rs 24000 Crores has been cleared out of which Rs. 22000 Crore has already been credited into the accounts of the farmers, while the remaining is in process and the payment percentage at 48 hours of procurement stands at 101 percent.

Notably, as part of the efforts for making the procurement season a success, foolproof arrangements have been made such as the operationalization of 1897 procurement centres and nearly 986 temporary yards