New Delhi, 14 October (H.S.):

Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution met Chief Minister of Punjab to discuss issues related to the ongoing paddy

procurement in KMS 2024-25 in the state. Paddy procurement in Punjab commenced on October 1.

Procurement of 124.14 lakh metric tonnes of rice was estimated from Punjab

last year, in KMS 2023-24, which was 100% achieved. This year for KMS 2024-25,

Government of India has already approved an estimated procurement of 124 lakh

tonnes of rice from Punjab which is equivalent to 185 lakh tonnes of paddy and

Government of India is procuring the same from the State without any

restrictions.

More than 2200 Mandis are functional currently in Punjab for paddy

procurement this year and as on 13.10.2024, out of total arrival of around 7.0

lakh tonnes of paddy, approx. 6.0 lakh tonnes have already been procured for

central pool. Paddy procurement will continue as usual till 30.11.2024.

Adequate storage arrangements have been made to avoid any difficulty in

smooth operation of paddy procurement. To accommodate the inflow of CMR (Custom

Milled Rice), a detailed plan has already been prepared to provide about 40

lakh tonnes of storage space by liquidating previous stocks of wheat as well as

that of rice from the covered godowns available in Punjab by December 2024.

To ensure that farmers do not face any difficulty during procurement

operations, adequate arrangements including online registration of farmers,

integration of land records, digital procurement operations and online transfer

of MSP payments, have been made. Arrangements have been made to ensure full

payment of MSP to farmers directly into their bank accounts, usually within 48

hours.

Several other issues which inter alia included review of the rates of

Commission on procurement of paddy, updation of WINGS portal and Out Turn Ratio

(OTR) of Paddy to Rice were discussed. The issue regarding additional

transportation charges being incurred by the millers was also discussed.

It was assured that the same will be examined favorably and resolved. Revision

of the rates of commission charges is under active consideration of the

Government and a decision in the matter will be taken shortly. Updation of

data/ fields on WINGS (Warehouse Inventory Network & Governing System)

portal has been done and its visibility to all stakeholders is now available.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Nimish kumar