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In Malwa, officials preparing for record paddy arrival
The Punjab agriculture department might be claiming to have cut down the area under paddy by 70,000 hectare this season, but the officials of the department of food and supplies are preparing to send more paddy for milling as compared to the last year.
The Punjab agriculture department might be claiming to have cut down the area under paddy by 70,000 hectare this season, but the officials of the department of food and supplies are preparing to send more paddy for milling as compared to the last year.
Authorities in Bathinda are expecting 12% more paddy arrival than 8.6 lakh MT, which was procured in the last season.
Similarly, the targeted procurement in the current paddy season has been estimated at 6.26 lakh MT against 5.57 lakh MT last year in Faridkot district. There are 67 purchase centres in Faridkot, which have been allotted to different agencies for procurement and all arrangements such as drinking water, shade and light have been made. Early varieties of paddy like PR-111 are already being procured by the private traders and rates have been higher than `1,345, the MSP for paddy. It remains to be seen if the shortage of paddy bags will pose a problem this year too?
Farmers have cultivated paddy on 1.62 lakh hectare in Moga, Baghapurana, Nihal Singh Wala and Dharamkot sub-divisions in Moga district, while it was cultivated on nearly 1.72 lakh hectare in 2012.
Moga agriculture development officer Jaswinder Singh Brar said, "I hope that farmers will get bumper paddy crop because during this season there has been no pest attack on paddy and basmati." Dhanvir Singh, district mandi officer, said paddy will arrive in Moga is estimated at around 7 lakh MT against 7.6 lakh MT last year. There are 105 purchase centres in the district.
In Mansa district, against 4.5 lakh MT paddy procured last year, agencies are expecting 5 lakh MT paddy in the markets this year.
Mansa district food and supplies controller Nirmal Singh said, "The space to store paddy is surplus. We can store at least 70,000 MT more. There are around 160 rice shellers in Mansa district. We have around 78,000 hectares of area under paddy in the district."
Around 9.5 lakh MT paddy arrival is expected in 128 grain markets in the current procurement season in the border district of Ferozepur as against 8.7 lakh MT last year. Covered godowns with a capacity of 55,000 MT are there at Ferozepur and with 40,000 MT capacity at Makhu, which may help ease the paddy procurement process in the current season.
Meanwhile, in Fazilka district, more than 90% paddy growers had opted for basmati (1121), due to which there would be negligible paddy procurement.
