Paddy procurement concludes, 16.56-LMT arrival hits 5-year low

Paddy procurement has concluded across 146 grain markets, including 38 temporary yards, under 13 market committees in Ludhiana district with the arrival of 16.56 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) stock, which was lowest in the past five Kharif marketing seasons, officials have said.

Even as the “glut-like situation” prevailed in most of the mandis due to heavy inflow and tardy lifting of grains initially, the district administration has finally managed smooth paddy procurement and lifting with the payment of Rs 3,839.3-crore payment to farmers in the state’s biggest and largest district, in terms of area and population.

The entire 16.56-LMT of paddy that arrived across the district till November 30, which was the last day of official purchase, has been procured and lifted from the district.

While state government agencies procured 16,55,930.8 MT of paddy, which accounted for 99.98 per cent of the total purchase this season, arhtiyas (private traders) bought just 398.1 MT of grains, which was mere 0.02 per cent of the total procurement in the district.

The arhtiyas had bought the meagre produce at a few market committees while no private purchase had taken place at any of the mandis under the remaining market committees.

However, the Food Corporation of India (FCI) failed to open its account by buying not even a single grain for the Central pool.

The development assumes significance as the harvesting of the paddy crop had been delayed due to the spoilsport played by the inclement weather. Besides, the area under cultivation had also reduced from 2,58,800 hectares in 2022 and 2,56,900 hectares in 2023 to 2,56,500 hectares this season.

District Food and Supplies Controller (DFSC) Geeta Bishambu told The Tribune here on Tuesday that the procurement of rice was undertaken in a smooth and hassle-free manner across all mandis under 13 market committees in Ludhiana.

She said all arrangements were made to facilitate farmers, arriving with their paddy crop at all mandis by ensuring swift procurement, lifting and payment of their foodgrain.

“A sum of Rs 3,839.3-crore, which was 99.93 per cent of the total due payment of Rs 3,842-crore, has already been paid to the farmers,” Geeta revealed, adding that the shortfall of mere Rs 2.7 crore payment was pending due to certain technical reasons or other discrepancies, which were also being rectified to release the amount shortly.

This season’s paddy arrival was 16,56,328.9 MT, which accounted for almost 9.8 per cent, less than 18,36,269 MT of grains that had arrived in the district during the corresponding period last year and over 4 per cent less than 17,26,661-MT of paddy that had arrived in the district in 2022. In 2021, as many as 17,77,490 MT of grains had arrived in Ludhiana while the Kharif marketing season 2020 had recorded the highest of 19,72,742 MT of paddy procurement in the district during the past five years.

Besides the arrival of 16.56 LMT of parmal rice, all of which had been purchased by the state government and private agencies at the minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 2,320 per quintal, as much as 55,121 MT of basmati rice had also been received and the entire stock purchased by the private agencies at the maximum price of Rs 3,145 per quintal and minimum of Rs 2,670 per quintal till date. The entire procured basmati rice had also been lifted from the mandis.

While paddy hit the five-year low, the basmati rice arrival and procurement this season so far has almost reached close to 55,936 MT of long, slender-grained aromatic rice, procured in Ludhiana during the entire previous season 2023-24.

Sharing the MC-wise procurement data, District Mandi Officer (DMO) Gurmatpal Singh said the Jagraon MC continued to surpass the Khanna MC, which comprises Asia’s biggest grain market, to record the highest procurement of 2,39,637.74 MT of paddy, which was 14.47 per cent of the district’s total purchase this season.

The MC-wise data showed that Mullanpur Dakha procured the second highest of 2,19,139.19 MT of paddy, followed by Khanna 1,93,060.2-MT, Raikot 1,49,115-MT, Machhiwara 1,37,022-MT, Doraha 1,09,392-.0-MT, Kila Raipur 1,03,954.1-MT, Sidhwan Bet 1,03,109.94-MT, Samrala 97,273.52-MT, Hathur 91,262.59-MT, Sahnewal 82,784.4-MT, Ludhiana 62,280.6-MT and the minimum of 61,521.09-MT grain had been purchased in the Maloud grain market till end of this season.

Laggard Ludhiana

The Ludhiana market committee recorded the district’s second lowest 62,280.6 MT of paddy procurement this season.

Each grain bought: DFSC

“By ensuring smooth and hassle-free procurement, lifting, and payment to farmers within the stipulated time frame, we had purchased every single grain of paddy arriving at mandis, as per government specifications. The Food and Civil Supplies Department, district administration and government agencies facilitated the peasants during the procurement process,” said Geeta Bishambu, DFSC.