Though Punjab has not been included among the states that are allocated funds under the National Food Security Mission for transplantation of paddy, but the state has contributed record 90% of rice to the Central pool during the current paddy season.
While the Union government had included 13 districts of Punjab for improving the farming practices pertaining to wheat under the mission, it had not included the state in the mission programme meant for rice.
Sources in the Punjab chief minister?s office told FE that the CM Parkash Singh Badal would take up the issue with union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar to include Punjab in the mission scheme meant for rice.
Enquiries reveal that by far all procurement agencies in Punjab had procured a record 129 lakh tonne of paddy of which more than 92 % had been procured by the government agencies. Agency wise data reveals that PUNGRAIN had procured 35,62,595 tonne of paddy (29.9%), MARKFED 27,40,059 tonne (23.0%), PUNSUP 26,82,091 tonne (22.5 %), the Punjab State Warehousing Corporation 14,84,393 tonne (12.4% and Punjab Agro Corporation had procured 12,52,773 tonne of paddy which was 10.5% of total procurement.
The Food Corporation of India had procured just 2,05,469 tonne of paddy which was a meagre 1.7% of total procurement from the state.
The millers had procured 10,04,834 tonne of paddy or 7.8 %. Ludhiana district had maintained its lead in paddy procurement by procuring 16,06,013 tonne, followed by Sangrur(14,73,048 tonne), Ferozepur(12,06,238 tonne), Moga(11,38,671 tonne)and Patiala (11,27,160 tonne).
Adesh Pratap Singh, food and supplies minister, Punjab when contacted told FE that by far a sum of Rs 10,130.75 crore had been paid to farmers while bonus of Rs 50 per tonne announced by the Centre was being credited to the bank accounts of farmers.
He informed that the Punjab Food Supply had set up 1,622 procurement centres throughout the state to ensure smooth procurement of paddy.