M A I N   N E W S

Bumper paddy harvest brightens Divali spirit
P.P.S. Gill and Sarbjit Dhaliwal
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 24
Punjab is all set to achieve new records in the procurement of paddy, thanks to a bumper harvest. No wonder, kisans today can barely hide their happiness, as they make their way to the banks and prepare to celebrate Divali in a big way. The same is true of the arhtiyas, who too have decorated their shops and homes with lights, anticipating prosperous business.

Besides paddy, even cotton — the ‘white gold’ — promises to bring cheer to the kisans in the Malwa belt, where a healthy crop of 11 lakh bales is expected after several years. The daily arrival of cotton is around 7,000 bales. With scientists out to lend a helping hand in controlling the cotton pests and introducing hybrid cotton, the farmers are being besieged by those willing to take their agricultural land on “Theka, rent’’ for next year. The going rate is Rs 37,000 per hectare in Malwa.

As a consequence of this good Kharif harvest, the sagging economy will get the much-needed shot in the arm. It is estimated that paddy alone will boost the economy to the tune of Rs 10,000 crore! This farm bounty will give a new economic impetus to business and trade in mandi towns, once again proving that Punajb’s economy is rooted in its agriculture. “Though this cheer is a mere flash in the pan, but it is a welcome scenario given the debt burden on Punjab farmers”, says an agricultural economist.

In Punjab, 1,14,00,090 tonnes of paddy had been procured till Friday, against 97,66,502 tonnes on the corresponding day, last year. Sangrur continues to lead the state having procured 19,06,342 tonnes of paddy, as on October 23. That the private-trade has procured 27,95,525 tones out of the total procurement by various agencies, so far, itself is an indicator of the cheer that the Kharif harvest has brought to the countryside.

The rates of paddy procurement in the state have ranged between Rs 490 and Rs 699, per quintal, say official sources. The paddy procurement operation has been smooth and swift and nowhere farmers had to stay put in the mandis for days.

There has also been a spurt in the number of rice shellers that have come up since Kharif 2002-03. Today, there are 2,333 rice shellers, which give hope that milling of paddy and delivery of customed mill and levy rice would be quicker this Kharif. The maximum rice shellers are in Sangrur, 541, followed by Patiala, 430, Ferozepur, 181, Ludhiana, 176, Muktsar, 124, Mansa 118, Bathinda, 114 and so on.

There are 377 rice mills that are labelled “defaulter” under the Custom Milling Policy, 2003-04. Together, these mills have un-milled paddy and rice stocks worth approximately Rs 265 crore. Even as current paddy continues to flood the mandis, there are reports that 88,158 tonnes of un-milled paddy (2001-02) and 13,141 tonnes of undelivered rice (2002-03) stock of the Department of Food and Supplies, Markfed, Punsup, Punjab Warehouse Corporation and Punjab Agro-Industries Corporation is lying in the premises of these 377 mills. Punjab has requested the Centre to extend the date of delivery of rice till November 30, next.

Informed sources told TNS today that ‘’food politics’’ had always cast a dark shadow over procurement, may it be wheat or paddy. In fact, the Punjab Vidhan Sabha had held a special session over the issue of minimum support price (MSP) for paddy on October 11, 2002. Notwithstanding the walkout by the Akalis and the BJP, the House in a resolution had ‘’indicted’’ the Centre for its “anti-Punjab and anti-farmer’’ attitude by not announcing either MSP or date of cmmencement of procurement of paddy.

The discussion in the House, as usual, was more in the nature of political blame-game than in the interest of the farmers. Though, draught had played a major spoilsport in Kharif-2002-03, Punjab had ensured that paddy did not wilt for want of water and the government had made all efforts to give adequate power and diesel to run the pumpsets. It is a different matter that the Centre never compensated Punjab for its role in saving Kharif crops.

“Food politics” is as visible as “food mafia” that operates in marketing, procurement, transportation, storage and distribution systems, say sources. The task, therefore, is not just the production and procurement of paddy or soya wheat. It also involves balancing the interests of the producers and consumers, ensuring if the former got remunerative prices, the latter too got the grains at an affordable price. The operation of both, the food politics and food mafia is more pronounced in paddy.