Commission agents stop paddy procurement in Sanghol mandi

Commission agents have stopped procurement of paddy at the Sanghol grain market of the district, Asia’s second biggest grain market, while those in Sirhind have also threatened to stop the process over alleged tardy lifting of paddy.

To add to the procurement woes, only 15 rice millers of the district, out of 175 rice mills, have signed the contract.

Though the state government is pressuring the millers, most of them have given in writing to abstain. The rice millers supply 65% of the gunny bags to fill the procured paddy while the remaining 35% gunny bags are supplied by the government agencies. The millers also provide 100% storage facility.

Inderjit Singh Sandhu, president, District Rice Millers Association, said an assurance from the Chief Minister the association had withdrawn the strike and had told the millers to start their work. However, the miller were hesitant because the hybrid variety of paddy had low yield of rice and there was a space crunch to store rice. Moreover, the Union Government has limited the driage from 1% to half per cent earlier.

Sadhu Ram Bhatt Majra, district president of the commission agents association, said the commission agents have started procurement but the lifting was tardy. So the commission agents were forced to stop procurement, he added.

He said if the government did not start lifting the paddy within 24 hours of procurement, they would stop procurement as they were not in a position to suffer any losses.

Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Sona Thind said the paddy procurement process was going on smoothly at all 32 procurement centres. There was no shortage of gunny bags and procured paddy will be lifted soon, the DC added.