Ruchika M Khanna
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, October 3
The procurement of paddy began across Punjab on Sunday, even as the stock arriving in some mandis is stated to be having higher than permissible moisture content.
However, farmers, commission agents and state government officials insisted that the moisture content is just marginally higher than the permissible limit of 17%. By simply spreading the paddy under sun for a day, the crop would lose excess moisture, they say.
Driers put in place
Farmers are drying the crop before bringing it to mandis. Millers have also set up driers. Amarjit Singh, farmer, Kalal Majra village
Mohinder Kishan Chand Arora, a commission agent in Rajpura, said the moisture content was just one point higher at 18%. “It was a bright sunny day and farmers just spread the paddy, which was completely dry by the evening,” he added. He said 7,000 metric tonnes (MT) of paddy had arrived in the Rajpura mandi to date.
In Khanna, the biggest grain market in Asia, Amarjit Singh of Kalal Majra village said the crop yield was good this year. “In some places, rains led to higher than permissible moisture in paddy. But farmers who had grown the early maturing varieties, are drying the crop in the village before bringing it here for sale. Some rice millers have also set up driers, which are being used by farmers for their crops,” he added.
Harbans Singh Rosha, a leading commission agent in Khanna, said 7,000 tonnes of paddy arrived on Sunday and most of it was as per the specifications. “The payment will be made in the accounts of farmers directly,” he added.
The Centre had initially advanced the date of paddy procurement by 10 days but in the wake of an uproar by farmers, it backed off and announced that the process would begin from Sunday.
Meanwhile in Tarn Taran, sudden rainfall on Saturday damaged the harvested paddy, but Karnail Singh, president of the Arhtiya Association there, insisted that the standing crop does not have high moisture content. “The crop has to be harvested at the right time or we yield losses. The entire crop that has arrived here during the past week was as per the specifications and is now being purchased,” he told The Tribune.
Notably, being the last major crop procurement during the current regime, ensuring a hassle-free process is high on the Congress’agenda. The government also has to ensure Rs 42,000 crore (cost of procurement) is injected to the state’s economy. That is why smooth procurement is foremost on the minds of the government.
FIRST DAY PROCEEDS
53,516 MT arrival
23,797 MT procured
Protest threatened over lack of facilities
Sangrur: Farmers have announced more district-level protests, if the authorities fail to make required arrangements for paddy procurement. “If the Punjab Government fails to make required arrangements for procurement, we will launch indefinite agitation against it,” said Surjit Singh, a protesting farmer at Sangrur.
Jagsir Singh, another farmer, said at several markets, the authorities had not made adequate arrangements for water and sanitation. — TNS
Day 1: Procurement brisk in Punjab mandis
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