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Wheat procurement going on seamlessly in all Punjab mandis: Bhagwant Mann
Chief minister Bhagwant Singh Mann visited grain market, Khanna, to take stock of the arrangements for wheat procurement. He said this time there was a slight delay in the arrival of wheat in mandis
Chief minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Friday visited the grain market, Khanna, to take stock of the arrangements for paddy procurement. He said this time there was a slight delay in the arrival of wheat in mandis and in some areas even the produce is comparatively less. He said wheat procurement in all mandis of the state is going on seamlessly.
He said the arrangements for the smooth procurement of wheat in the state have been put in place and assured all stakeholders, especially farmers involved in the procurement process, would not face any difficulty.
Mann said detailed instructions have been issued to officials of the food and civil supplies department and heads of all state procurement agencies to ensure timely payment besides immediate lifting.
During the CM’s visit, 50 quintals of wheat of Rajwant Kaur, wife of Kulwant Singh Bhadla through commission agent M/S Khushi Ram and Company, was procured by the Punjab State Warehousing Corporation agency and online payment was made on the spot.
He assured that every single grain of farmers’ produce would be procured by the government through its 2,262 mandis. He said this year, they are expecting the arrival of 135 lakh MT of wheat in the state out of which around 97,000 MT would be expected in Khanna mandi alone and around 9.24 lakh MT in Ludhiana district.
The CM said due to the Russia-Ukraine war, there would be an increase in demand for wheat globally and this time wheat is being purchased above the government-fixed MSP by private traders. He said after depositing tax in mandis, private traders can procure wheat from all mandis of the state at ease.
He said payment is being transferred online to the bank accounts of farmers within 48 hours and he is personally monitoring the ongoing wheat procurement process.
Officials have been directed to ensure that there should be no problem in transportation, payment and bardana bags. All arrangements of potable drinking water, lights, sitting arrangements and toilets, etc, have been ensured in all mandis.
Mann said to ensure there is no arrival of wheat from other states, the state government is fully geared up and strict action would be taken against all officials or anyone allowing this corrupt practice.
Prominent among those present on the occasion included Khanna MLA Tarunpreet Singh Sond, financial commissioner, agriculture, and farmers welfare, DK Tiwari, secretary, food and civil supplies, Gurkirat Kirpal Singh, and deputy commissioner, Ludhiana, Varinder Kumar Sharma.
