Procurement season: Over ₹17 cr disbursed to wheat farmers’ account so far, says Punjab chief secy

The Punjab chief secretary further said that in keeping with the rules, the payments to farmers were made within 48 hours of the wheat procurement.

Punjab chief secretary Anurag Verma on Tuesday said that procurement of 95% of the wheat that arrived in the state’s mandis is complete, and payments to the tune of ₹17, 340.40 crore have been made into farmers’ accounts so far.

Labourers move sacks of paddy grain after a rainfall at a Bhagtanwala grain market in Amritsar on Tuesday. (Sameer Sehgal/HT)

The chief secretary further said that in keeping with the rules, the payments to farmers were made within 48 hours of the wheat procurement.

Punjab is expecting arrival of around 132 lakh tonnes of wheat in mandis this season, out of which 100.58 lakh tonnes (76%) have already arrived.

During a meeting with top officers of procurement agencies and deputy commissioners, Verma directed them to ensure that farmers, arhtiyas and labourers do not face any problem at the mandis.

The chief secretary further said that 27 special trains are running from the state every day to take the foodgrains to other parts of the country.