Wheat procurement in Punjab to end on May 25: Minister

Food, civil supplies and consumer affairs minister Lal Chand Kataruchak on Tuesday ordered closure of wheat procurement operations in mandis in the state from May 25

Food, civil supplies and consumer affairs minister Lal Chand Kataruchak on Tuesday ordered closure of wheat procurement operations in mandis in the state from May 25.

State government has operationalised 2,780 mandis in the state during the present rabi season: Minister. (ANI File Photo)

Kataruchak said that more than 125.57 lakh MT wheat has arrived in the mandis of the state during the current rabi season that started from April 1 in the state. Out of this, 121.07 lakh MT has been procured by government procurement agencies, while nearly 4.5 lakh MT has been procured by the private traders. A sum of ₹24,693-crore has been paid as MSP to the 8,09,149 farmers of the state, he added.

The minister said state government had operationalised 2,780 mandis in the state during the present rabi season but following a drastic dip in arrivals of wheat from May 10 in certain parts of the state, 2,628 mandis have been closed so far in a phased manner. At present, wheat is being procured in 152 main mandi yards covering all the districts.