Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi addressing a press conference in Chandigarh.
Newly-appointed Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Thursday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to immediately withdraw his letter advising the Ministry of Food and Public Distribution to postpone the procurement of paddy till October 11.
The Chief Minister’s Office appealed to the Prime Minister to allow Punjab to start procurement operations from October 1.
The Center on Thursday postponed the procurement of kharif paddy in Punjab and Haryana till October 11 as the maturity of the crop has been delayed due to the recent heavy rains.
Paddy procurement for the 2021-22 kharif marketing season in Punjab was to begin from October 1, while in Haryana it was to officially begin from September 25.
The procurement operations are carried out by the Food Corporation of India (FCI), the nodal agency of the central government, along with the state agencies.
“It is informed that due to the recent heavy rains in Punjab and Haryana, there has been a delay in the maturation of paddy,” the Union Food Ministry said in a statement. Keeping in mind the interests of the farmers and to avoid any inconvenience to them, the ministry has decided to start the procurement of paddy under the Minimum Support Price in these two states from October 11.
All agencies have been directed to take necessary action for procurement of paddy in Punjab and Haryana from October 11.
The Center has fixed the minimum support price (MSP) for grade ‘A’ paddy at Rs 1,960 per quintal for 2021-22 kharif marketing season, while Rs 1,940 per quintal for normal grade paddy.
Punjab is a major contributor to the central pool as on an average more than 100 lakh tonnes of rice is procured from this state.
Less than 45 lakh tonnes of rice is procured from Haryana during the Kharif marketing season.
(With inputs from PTI)
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