Paddy procurement begins today in district grain markets

The markets in the district are all set for the beginning of procurement of parmal varieties from October 1, but the biggest grain market of the district, Bhagtanwala Dana Mandi, is still crying for repairing the broken boundary wall forcing farmers to keep an eye on miscreants trying to steal their produce.

The wall of the market separating it from the Bhagtanwala garbage dump, the biggest waste dumping site in the district, is broken and a passage has been made by residents of nearby areas to reach their houses.

However, farmers have been complaining of rising cases of theft of their produce from the market by anti-social elements for years and demanding that a proper boundary wall should be constructed to restrict the entry of unauthorised persons into the compound.

Farmers said in the night, miscreants try to steal their produce and they have to keep a watch. They said proper security of the compound would ensure that farmers do not worry about these thefts.

Meanwhile, the district administration today stated that all arrangements for procurement of parmal varieties of paddy have been made. While the harvesting of basmati varieties had started a fortnight ago and it had also started reaching the mandis, the government procurement of parmal varieties of paddy on MSP would begin from October 1.

As the government has set a permissible limit of 17 per cent moisture content in grains, the administration has also set up check-up centres at the entry gates to ensure that only fully ripened crop enters the markets.

Administration officials stated that farmers should bring the fully ripened crop which has moisture content lower than 17 per cent to the markets so that it could be procured on the same day and the farmers do not have to wait.

District Mandi Officer Amandeep Singh said that a total of 50 procurement centres would become operational in the district for procurement of paddy from tomorrow. He added that administration has also asked the farmers to not use combine harvesters during night as grain harvested during night have more moisture and it would cause a problem in procurement.