Centre procures 60.63 lakh tonnes of paddy so far in Punjab; Rs 1,22,00 cr paid to farmers till Oct 28

New Delhi: The Centre on Tuesday said it has procured 60.63 lakh tonnes of paddy so far in Punjab and it has already made payments of Rs 12,200 crore to farmers in the state as of October 28. In an official statement, the union food ministry said, “as of 28th October 2024, a total quantity of 65.75 lakh tonnes of paddy has arrived in the mandis out of which 60.63 lakh tonnes have been procured by state agencies and Food Corporation of India (FCI).”

An amount of Rs 12200 crore has been released to the farmers in Punjab directly to bank accounts as of 28th October, it added.

The procurement of paddy in Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2024-25 commenced on October 1, 2024, and 2,927 designated mandis including 1000 temporary yards have been opened throughout Punjab for smooth procurement of paddy.

The Centre has fixed an estimated target of 185 lakh tonnes for this ensuing KMS 2024-25.

The paddy is being purchased at a MSP (minimum support price) of Rs 2320 per quintal as decided by the Centre for Grade ‘A’ paddy for KMS 2024-25.

The total paddy purchase in the state till date is amounting to Rs 14,066 crore and it has benefitted 3,51,906 farmers. Further, 4145 millers have applied for shelling (de-husking) of paddy and they are lifting the paddy from the mandis.

“Hence, the state is on track to achieve the target of 185 lakh tonnes of paddy by the end of November,” the Centre said.