E-Paper
Punjab sets target to procure 187 lakh tonnes of paddy
Punjab requires roughly ₹46,000 crore for procurement to be raised in form of a cash credit limit from the Centre to pay minimum support price of ₹2,040 per quintal
Punjab’s food and civil supplies department has set a target of procuring 187.28 lakh tonnes of paddy in the upcoming kharif procurement scheduled to begin on October 1 till November 30.
The state requires roughly ₹46,000 crore for procurement to be raised in form of a cash credit limit (CCL) from the Centre to pay minimum support price (MSP) of ₹2,040 per quintal. The outlay involves cost of transport, cartage and other miscellaneous expenses required in the massive procurement and lifting process.
The Punjab finance department has moved the requisition for CCL before the RBI.
The expenditure pegged for paddy in the upcoming season is same as what was spent in 2020 when all-time high 203 lakh tonnes of paddy stocks were procured. “But this time, expected arrivals will be lesser than that,” said a food department officer.
“The Centre has asked us to first close ₹28,150 crore drawn as CCL ahead of the rabi (wheat) procurement in March. We have already sent a requisition for release of the CCL,” said another officer.
The food department along with the Punjab’s agricultural produce marketing board (Mandi Board) is in process of getting all 1,850 mandis in state ready for procurement.
Physical verification has also started at all 4,200 paddy shelling mills of the state. “We want to ascertain the opening stocks before the start of procurement season so as to check the mixing of rice from the previous years with the fresh stocks,” said an official, who wished to remain anonymous.
He added that the verification was being done randomly by deputing officers of one district to another. Those engaged in the physical verification have been asked to upload real-time data from mills premises immediately, he said.
To check pilferage during the transportation of paddy from mandis to shelling mills, the Punjab government in its custom milling policy has decided to track the entire movement with the help of GPS.
“Of the total quantity of paddy procured, 67% rice is produced. We want to hand over the rice to the Food Corporation of India (FCI) in the same quantity – not less and not more,” said a top official of the food department.
Stocks dwindling
As stocks of wheat and rice from Punjab are sent to consumer states at a pace faster than before, the same are depleting. Currently, the state godowns have 56.87 lakh tonnes of wheat and 75 lakh tonnes of rice (total 132 lakh tonnes). There was a time when the stockpile crossed 300 lakh tonnes, forcing the state food department to temporarily rent open plinths to manage the storage.
“The situation this time is different and much easier than the previous procurement seasons when management of storage space used to be a major issue. A large number of godowns in the state, particularly the covered area plinths storage, are empty,” said the official.
Figure-wise
October 1: Start of paddy procurement
187.28 lakh tonnes: Target set for paddy procurement
₹46,000 crore: Punjab seeks cash credit limit from the Centre
1,850: Mandis across state to procure paddy
