Chandigarh: To avoid a glut in grain markets and to coordinate the pace of procurement, lifting and movement of food grain out of the state, the Punjab government on Thursday decided to slow the pace of procurement by at least one-third, with issue of fewer curfew passes to farmers. The availability of labour for all these tasks has been an important input into the decision.
“From Sunday, we will issue 60,000 passes a day to farmers for bringing their produce to mandis for procurement,” said additional chief secretary (development) Viswajeet Khanna, who heads the state committee on wheat harvest and procurement. He added that he was satisfied with the pace of procurement, but the movement of grain from the state to other consuming states was also a priority.
On Wednesday, 10,000 labourers across the state were engaged with 50 goods trains that were in the state to take away rice and wheat for distribution in consuming states. The demand for food grain has picked up after the Centre announced its PM Garib Kalyan Yojana, which has decided to double the allocation for the poor, free of cost.
For Punjab, updated figures of procurement till Thursday, its ninth day, show that of the total expected arrival of 135 lakh tonne wheat, around 29.4 lakh tonne or 20% had arrived in grain markets. Due to labour shortage, however, lifting from mandis has suffered with 13 lakh tonne yet to be lifted.
{{/usCountry}}For Punjab, updated figures of procurement till Thursday, its ninth day, show that of the total expected arrival of 135 lakh tonne wheat, around 29.4 lakh tonne or 20% had arrived in grain markets. Due to labour shortage, however, lifting from mandis has suffered with 13 lakh tonne yet to be lifted.
{{/usCountry}}State food and civil supplies minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu said a steady pace of crop arrival had been maintained at between 4.5 lakh tonne and 6 lakh tonne a day on average, but this would be slowed to streamline the backlog in lifting and the grain outflow from the state.
The mandi board, a subsidiary of the agriculture department which regulates mandis for procurement, has decided to issue 90,000 passes to farmers on Friday and Saturday, with 60,000 from Sunday.
PAYMENT AWAITED: FARMERS
Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) president BS Rajewal said four state procurement agencies were yet to make any payment to farmers, with only the Food Corporation of India, a central agency, paying up. Minister Ashu, however, contradicted this by saying, “We have released Rs 686 crore to arhtiyas and I expect they are making payment to farmers. As per norms, the agency is to pay the arhtiya in 72 hours, who is supposed to pay the farmer within 48 hours of receiving the payment.”