Punjab: Centre extends paddy procurement period till Dec 7

Acceding to the request of the state government to extend the procurement period due to late sowing in certain parts of state affected by floods in July this year, the Union ministry of food and public distribution has allowed extension of paddy procurement period till December 7

Chandigarh :Acceding to the request of the state government to extend the procurement period due to late sowing in certain parts of state affected by floods in July this year, the Union ministry of food and public distribution has allowed extension of paddy procurement period till December 7.

Acceding to the request of the state government to extend the procurement period due to late sowing in certain parts of state affected by floods in July this year, the Union ministry of food and public distribution has allowed extension of paddy procurement period till December 7.

Disclosing this here, food, civil supplies and consumer affairs minister Lal Chand Kataruchak said that chief minister Bhagwant Singh Mann had directed the department to take up the matter with the ministry to extend the paddy procurement time period as Punjab had witnessed state-wide floods leading to late sowing and eventually delayed harvesting which is still on-going in certain parts of the state. The minister said this extension was necessary in view of the ongoing harvesting in some parts. “The Union ministry has, in its communication on Thursday, conveyed approval for revision of procurement period of paddy during kharif marketing season 2023-24 as October 1 to December 7,” he added.

Reiterating the state’s commitment to lift every single grain of paddy brought by famers in mandis, the minister said that around 185 lakh metric tonne of paddy has been purchased across the state by state procurement agencies.