Punjab: Expedite foodgrain movement, CM Mann tells officials
The move is aimed at ensuring no storage problem arises in the coming season and procurement of grains takes place in a hassle-free manner, the CM says. The procurement of rabi crops (wheat) in the state is expected to start from April 1.
Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday asked the department of food and civil supplies to expedite the process of liquidation and movement of food grain stocks from the state. It would ensure no storage problem arises in the coming season and procurement of grains takes place in a hassle-free manner, he said. The procurement of rabi crops (wheat) in the state is expected to start from April 1.
Chairing a high-level meeting of the food and civil supplies department here, the CM said that due to space shortage during the previous season, the procurement and lifting of grains from mandis was adversely affected. He said the state government was already in process of creating new godowns to store 60 lakh tonnes of grains in a few months.
“The central government is being requested repeatedly to undertake maximum movement of wheat and rice from the state so that sufficient storage space is available,” he said.
He said that during the kharif marketing season (KMS) 2024-25, 171.86 lakh tonnes of paddy was stored in the state out of which 116.30 lakh tonnes of rice was deliverable. Till date, 33.74 lakh tonnes (29.02%) of the rice have been delivered and remaining 82.53 lakh tonnes have to be delivered by March 31.
For the month of February, Mann said the state had requested for 1,635 rice special trains but the FCI has planned only 197 and till date only 109 such trains have been provided.
The CM said these issues would be duly raised with the Union government in the coming days. Meanwhile, he said that shortfall of space has been identified only in districts of Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Patiala and Moga and all efforts are being made by district officials and field staff for alternative arrangements and contingency plans.