Punjab has achieved 50 percent of total procurement operations within 20 days after the commencement of wheat procurement on 1 April.
An official spokesperson of the Punjab government informed that out of the total estimated arrival of 130 lakh metric tonne (LMT) of wheat, the state Mandis (grain markets)recorded the arrival of 67.50 LMT so far, of which 65.40 LMT had been procured during the ongoing Rabi Marketing Season (RMS).
“Nearly 27 percent more wheat arrived in mandis this year as compared to the corresponding period of last year, with 53.35 LMT of wheat had arrived till date in the previous RMS”, he added.
As many as 61.95 LMT of wheat purchased by government agencies while the remaining 3.45 LMT by private agencies. Sangrur district leads the state with the arrival of 7.27 LMT of wheat, of which 7.18 LMT had been procured till April 19. After Sangrur, Ferozepur and Patiala are at second and third place with the arrival of 5.40 LMT and 5.31 LMT wheat respectively.
Wheat was sown over 35.02 Lac hectares in the state and the target for wheat production, as per estimates, was 171 LMT out of which 130 LMT expected to reach the grain markets during the ongoing procurement season.
Meanwhile, the state government warned the traders, firms, and individuals involved in procuring wheat directly from farmers without paying a market fee and the Rural Development Fund (RDF) to immediately stop this practice or be ready to pay a heavy penalty.
The spokesperson said that it has come to the notice that some persons, traders, and firms have been illegally procuring wheat directly from farmers’ without paying the market fee and RDF.
“These individuals, traders, and firms are warned to stop this practice immediately, otherwise, if any such case is found during the checking the defaulter has to pay a penalty amounting to 10 times of market fee in addition to actual market fee and RDF”, said the spokesperson.