Punjab Has Paid Farmers ₹2,511-Cr for Paddy Procurement So Far: Lal Chand Kataruchak

Punjab Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak on Sunday visited the Bathinda grain market to review arrangements for paddy procurement, assuring farmers, commission agents and labourers that they would not face any inconvenience during the process.

The minister said Punjab had recorded a bumper paddy crop this year and that the quality of the produce was very good. He said the state government had made comprehensive arrangements to ensure smooth procurement and timely payments.

Kataruchak said that under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Punjab Government had consistently focused on two key priorities for farmers: uninterrupted procurement of their produce and timely payment. He said payments amounting to ₹2,511 crore had already been made to farmers for paddy during the current procurement season.

Sharing the latest procurement figures, the minister said 21 lakh metric tonnes of paddy had arrived in grain markets across the state, of which 20 lakh metric tonnes had been procured. He expressed confidence that Punjab would also achieve its procurement target for the Central Pool.

Highlighting the arrangements at mandis, Kataruchak cited the example of farmer Jaswinder Singh from Nasibpura village, who had brought his paddy to the Bathinda market on Sunday morning and whose produce, he said, was procured promptly without any inconvenience.

The minister also claimed that farmers in Punjab had not faced procurement-related problems over the past four and a half years.

He urged farmers to bring only thoroughly dried paddy to the mandis, saying this would help prevent delays in procurement. He added that wheat and paddy were vital to Punjab’s economy and that the government made adequate arrangements to ensure the smooth procurement of both crops.

Responding to questions from journalists about stubble management, Kataruchak said Punjab’s farmers had set an example by managing paddy residue without burning it.

He expressed confidence that farmers would further improve stubble management in the coming days with the support of modern agricultural machinery and technology. He appealed to farmers to continue avoiding stubble burning, adding that they were well-informed about the issue and were increasingly adopting alternatives.

Those present during the visit included Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Kanchan; Punjab Medium Industry Development Board Chairman Neel Garg; Markfed Chairman Inderjit Singh Mann; Forest Department Chairman Rakesh Puri; Bathinda Rural Assembly constituency in-charge Gopal Singh; Bathinda Market Committee Chairman Baljit Balli; Assistant Commissioner Gurjinder Singh; District Food and Civil Supplies Controller Gurtar Singh; District Food and Supplies Officer Harshit Mehta; District Mandi Officer Jaswinder Singh Chahal; and officials from various other departments.