Foodgrain storage crisis: Mann seeks urgent meeting with Union minister

CM Bhagwant Mann Says October paddy procurement may be hit unless 15 lakh tonnes of grain is evacuated every month

With barely two months left for the commencement of paddy procurement, Punjab has sounded an alarm over an unprecedented foodgrain storage crisis, prompting chief minister Bhagwant Mann to seek an urgent audience with Union food and public distribution minister Pralhad Joshi.

With barely two months left for the commencement of paddy procurement, Punjab has sounded an alarm over an unprecedented foodgrain storage crisis, prompting chief minister Bhagwant Mann to seek an urgent audience with Union food and public distribution minister Pralhad Joshi. (ANI)

Mann has written to the Union minister requesting immediate intervention to ensure large-scale evacuation of foodgrain stocks from Punjab, warning that the state’s procurement operations could face severe disruption if storage space is not created before the arrival of the new kharif crop from October 1. A response from the Centre is still awaited.

The concern stems from an alarming mismatch between Punjab’s storage capacity and the foodgrain stocks currently lying across the state. Against a total warehouse capacity of 180 lakh tonnes, Punjab is presently holding around 296 lakh tonnes of foodgrains, forcing agencies to store grain not only in warehouses but also in rice mills and grain markets.

According to official figures, the current stock comprises 153.5 lakh tonnes of rice and 119 lakh tonnes of wheat. Besides this, 36 lakh tonnes of paddy from the previous procurement season is yet to be milled, which will eventually add another 24 lakh tonnes of rice to the already overflowing stocks.

The situation has become so critical that 29 lakh tonnes of wheat is presently being stored in the premises of rice mills and grain markets due to the non-availability of warehouse space.

Senior government officials said Mann decided to directly approach the Union minister after repeated efforts by officials at various levels failed to persuade the Centre to increase the evacuation of foodgrains from Punjab.

Officials described the current stock position as unprecedented, saying the state has never before witnessed such an acute shortage of storage space before the beginning of the paddy procurement season.

In his communication to Joshi, the CM said that procurement during the forthcoming kharif marketing season would be “severely impacted” unless the Centre immediately steps up the movement of foodgrains from Punjab to consuming states.

“We have requested the Centre to evacuate at least 15 lakh tonnes of foodgrains every month from Punjab. However, the offtake has been abysmally low, leaving practically no space to accommodate the incoming crop,” a senior official in the Punjab food, civil supplies and consumer affairs department said.

Officials said that during the past six months, Punjab has been dispatching only around five lakh tonnes of wheat and nearly six lakh tonnes of rice every month, nearly 35% lower than the corresponding period last year.

Data compiled by the state food department highlights the sharp decline in evacuation. Between January and June 2025, Punjab moved 58 lakh tonnes of rice and 61 lakh tonnes of wheat, taking the total evacuation to 119 lakh tonnes. During the same six-month period this year, evacuation fell to 39 lakh tonnes of rice and 39.5 lakh tonnes of wheat, totalling only 78.5 lakh tonnes.

Officials said several rounds of meetings have been held between Punjab and Central government officials over the past few months, but the issue remains unresolved.

According to officials, the Centre has maintained that warehouses in consuming states are also heavily stocked, leaving limited scope for transferring additional foodgrain from Punjab.

The timing of the storage crisis has heightened concerns as Punjab is expecting another bumper paddy crop this year. Officials estimate that nearly 180 lakh tonnes of paddy will arrive in mandis during the procurement season, which would eventually yield around 120 lakh tonnes of rice.

Without urgent evacuation of existing stocks, officials fear procurement agencies could face severe logistical challenges in handling the new crop, potentially disrupting procurement operations across the state’s mandis.

State officials maintain that unless foodgrain movement is substantially accelerated over the next two months, Punjab could face one of its biggest procurement management challenges in recent years.