State procures 150L tonne paddy

CHANDIGARH: Punjab has procured over 150.37 lakh tonne of paddy this kharif season, food and supplies officials said on Wednesday.

Out of this, 149.44 lakh tonne has been procured by government agencies while 92,854 tonne has been procured by private millers.

Payment of nearly Rs 23,000 crore has already been released by the Punjab government to arhtiyas (commission agents) and farmers.

‘Green Revolution’ state Punjab contributes nearly 50% of food grains (wheat and paddy) to the national kitty.

The Punjab government has made arrangements for a bumper procurement of 200 lakh tonne of paddy this season.

In 2017-18, a total of 179.34 lakh tonne of paddy was procured in the state. Paddy procurement started in the agrarian state on October 1, but the bulk of the stocks started coming after October 10.

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre has sanctioned a cash credit limit (CCL) amount of Rs 29,695 crore for procurement of paddy in the kharif marketing season 2018-19.

The Punjab government had demanded Rs 40,300 crore.