Punjab Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak today reiterated that the Punjab Government, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, is committed to procuring every single grain brought by farmers during the upcoming wheat procurement season in the state.
He said that the government has already made extensive preparations to facilitate more than 8 lakh farmers during the season. The Minister was chairing a review meeting with senior officials, transporters, and labour contractors from seven districts, including Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, Rupnagar and Ludhiana.
Interacting with the media, the Minister revealed that Punjab is expected to witness a bumper wheat crop this year, with a target procurement of 122 lakh metric tonnes. He stated that the State Government has already secured a cash credit limit of Rs. 30,973 crore for wheat procurement to ensure smooth operations throughout the season.
The Minister also mentioned that adequate bardana (gunny bags) has been arranged, along with sufficient storage space and crates for efficient handling of the produce. To cater to the massive arrival of crops, the Punjab Government has established 1,897 purchase centres (mandis) across the state where farmers can sell their wheat.
In view of the bumper crop, around several temporary purchase centres have also been set up. Mr. Kataruchak assured farmers that they would receive payments within 24 hours of procurement, while the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for wheat has been fixed at Rs. 2,585 per quintal.
He added that the Punjab Government has put in place arrangements to handle the arrival of 132 lakh metric tonnes of wheat against the expected procurement target of 122 lakh metric tonnes, thereby ensuring adequate surplus capacity and smooth procurement operations throughout the season.
The Minister noted that the Government has increased labour rates for labourers engaged in procurement. Similarly, to ensure farmers do not face any problem temporary arrangements to house over 51lakh MTs wheat crop was already made in open plinths.
He added that the Government has also requested 409 specials in April and 449 specials in May for ensuring sufficient space for wheat crop. Highlighting further, the Minister said that under previous governments, issues related to payments, lifting and bardana were major concerns for farmers, often forcing them to stay in mandis for several days.
However, the Punjab Government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has resolved these issues during its four-year tenure, ensuring there is no shortage of bardana. Likewise, long-pending issues related to lifting and timely payments have also been addressed.
The Minister emphasized the Punjab Government’s commitment to purchasing every single grain brought by farmers and stressed that no negligence would be tolerated in the procurement process. He highlighted the government’s efforts over the past four years to streamline wheat and paddy procurement operations.
During the review meeting, Mr. Kataruchak also examined facilities for farmers, including cleanliness, availability of drinking water, lighting arrangements and sheds at the mandis. He directed officials to remain present at their respective mandis throughout the procurement season to ensure that farmers do not face any hardships.
He further stated that Punjab is the nation’s breadbasket and expressed pride in the state's ability to manage such a large-scale procurement operation smoothly.