Paddy procurement to continue smoothly: Union Minister Pralhad Joshi

New Delhi: Amid the farmers' protest in Punjab over poor paddy procurement, Union Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi on Sunday said that purchase would continue smoothly, with sufficient storage space arranged to handle incoming supplies without constraints.

"All measures have taken by the Union Government to ensure seamless paddy and Custom Milled Rice (CMR) procurement in Punjab, " Joshi told media here.

"Additional storage solutions are also being arranged under various schemes," he said.

His statement comes amid concerns over poor paddy procurement in Punjab, which has led to farmers' protests across the state as they demand timely collection of their produce.

The Minister reiterated that the target of 185 lakh tonne fixed for Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2024-25 will be fully procured and not a single grain of paddy will be left unsold. An online portal for grievance redressal of rice millers will be launched shortly so that any difficulties faced by the stakeholders can be addressed promptly, he said.

In Punjab, the procurement of paddy officially commenced on October 1, 2024, with 2,700 designated mandis, including temporary yards, to ensure smooth operations. Due to heavy rainfall in September and higher moisture content in paddy, the harvesting and procurement were slightly delayed.

However, despite a late start, the state is on track now to achieve its target of procuring 185 lakh tonne of paddy by November 2024. All measures are in place to ensure smooth procurement operations in Punjab for KMS 2024-25. As on October 26, 2024, out of 54.5 lakh tonne arrival in mandis, 50 lakh tonne of paddy had been procured, a statement from the Food Ministry said.

During KMS 2023-24, out of 65.8 LT (lakh tonne) arrival, 61.5 LT paddy had been procured by October 26, 2023. Minimum Support Price (MSP) for paddy (common) has seen a substantial rise from Rs 1,310/Qtl in 2013-14 to Rs 2,300/Qtl in 2024-25. A total of 3,800 millers have applied for registration out of which 3,250 millers have already been allotted the work by the Punjab government. More millers are expected to register and be allotted the work in the next 7 days, the statement added.