E-Paper
Harvest yet to pick pace, 39k tonnes of paddy arrives in mandis on Day 3
Punjab mandis received 39,000 tonnes of paddy amid a strike, with 10,000 tonnes procured. A bumper crop of 230 lakh tonnes is expected this season.
A total of 39,000 tonnes of paddy has arrived in Punjab mandis till Thursday, the third day of the procurement, amid a strike by Arthiyas and labourers.
On Thursday, 6,000 tonnes of produce reached the mandis. The harvest is yet to pick pace due to intermittent rainfall across the state last week. Out of total arrivals, nearly 10,000 tonnes have been procured by the state procurement agencies.
A total of 185 lakh tonnes of paddy arrivals are expected in the state in the current procurement season and the experts have predicted a bumper crop of 230 lakh tonnes.
This kharif season the area under paddy has increased to 32 lakh hectares (78.5 lakh acres) as farmers mostly in south-west Punjab shifted to paddy cultivation from cotton due to the high incidence of pest infestation.
The arrivals are expected to pick up by the upcoming week when full-fledged harvest will begin in the state. According to officials of the state agriculture department, the crop is ready for harvest and the farmers are waiting for the grain to dry up.
