Mandis remain flooded with paddy, but purchase, payments go on smoothly
Farmers are still facing hardships as paddy pangs continue to grip Ludhiana district. With paddy glut rising by the day, the grain markets (mandis) in the state’s biggest and largest district, in terms of area and population, continue to remain flooded with the foodgrains as only half, precisely 53 per cent of the total 7.82 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of procured paddy has been lifted from the mandis.
However, the procurement of arriving stocks and payments to farmers remain smooth across 146 mandis, including 38 temporary yards, under 13 market committees of Ludhiana. Also, the private purchase of paddy has failed to pick up with the commission agents (arhtiyas) not procuring the foodgrains despite the government’s assurance to increase their commission.
Claiming that the situation has improved during the past week and will further improve in the days to come, the District Food and Supplies Controller (DFSC), Geeta Bishambu, told The Tribune here on Saturday that lifting had picked up pace with over 63 per cent of the paddy procured during the past 72 hours already been cleared from the mandis.
She said the district administration was in close coordination with the Food and Civil Supplies Department and the four state-owned procurement agencies was ensuring swift procurement and early payments to the farmers for their procured stocks.
“We have been able to purchase almost 96 per cent of the total paddy that had arrived in our mandis so far and have completely paid the payments due to the farmers,” Geeta shared.
She disclosed that 7,82,221.3 MT of the total arrived 8,18,141.3 MT paddy had been procured in the district while Rs 1,614.7 crore had already been paid to the farmers, which was almost 100 per cent of Rs 1,616.7 crore payment due within 48 hours of the purchase.
On the lifting front, 4,14,017.6 MT of the procured 7,82,221.3 MT paddy had been lifted from the mandis, which comprised 63.3 per cent of 6,53,748.1 MT stocks due to be lifted within the last 72 hours of the purchase.
On Friday, 40,498.3 MT more paddy arrived in the mandis, while 42,410.3 MT was purchased and 21,662 MT was lifted during the day. Barring 37.5 MT paddy purchased by the arhtiyas, the rest of the stocks had been procured by Pungrain, Markfed, Punsup, and Punjab State Warehousing Corporation. However, the Food Corporation of India (FCI) is yet to begin purchase in the district.
The DFSC gave details that of the total 497 rice shellers in the district, 446 had applied for storage, 410 had been allotted stocks and 370 had already signed the agreements for storage and milling of procured paddy. “Since their godowns are still full with the milled rice of the previous season, which is being cleared by the FCI, we hope that the lifting will soon pick up pace after the godowns of rice millers are freed of the previous stocks,” she added.
Besides the parmal variety of paddy, 36,003.74 MT of basmati rice had also arrived and fully procured in the district till Friday. The growers have been able to get as high as Rs 3,145 per quintal and as low as Rs 2,670 per quintal for the basmati so far.
On the harvesting front, 1,46,905 hectares, which accounted for 57.3 per cent of the total 2,56,500 hectares of area under paddy in the district, had been harvested so far. According to the data compiled by the Agriculture Department, Ludhiana block had harvested 7,128 of 13,200 hectares of paddy, Mangat 19,776 of 30,900 hectares, Pakhowal 11,150 of 22,300 hectares, Sudhar 13,872 of 28,900 hectares, Jagraon 13,772 of 31,300 hectares, Sidhwan Bet 18,315 of 33,300 hectares, Khanna 14,112 of 19,600 hectares, Doraha 8,694 of 18,900 hectares, Dehlon 9,045 of 20,100 hectares, Samrala 10,998 of 14,100 hectares and Machhiwara had reaped 17,686 of total 23,900 hectares area under paddy till date.
