Provide space for paddy or law & order situation may emerge, Punjab tells Centre
Punjab has given a clarion call to the Centre to provide paddy storage space immediately lest the state should face a “huge law and order problem”.
In response, the Union Government has asked the state to carry out repairs of godowns and rent additional storage facilities for nine lakh metric tonne (LMT) grains from central and state warehousing corporations in view of the fresh paddy arrivals that will begin from October 1 onwards.
The state and the Centre exchanged letters on the issue on Friday and the Punjab Chief Secretary posted those on social media today.
In an SOS phone call and a letter, Punjab Chief Secretary Anruag Verma asked the Centre to immediately make available space for paddy storage. He said the non-availability of space could lead to a law and order problem in the state.
In the past, farmers had resorted to dharnas for non-lifting of paddy due to lack of storage. Further, the paddy produce would have to be stored in the open, if the required storage facility was not available, he said.
He said: “Generally, the FCI receives milled rice by March 31. However, during the KMS 2023-24, it could not provide space for the milled rice. So, the delivery period had to be extended up to September 30, 2024. Under these circumstances, the millers here are reluctant to lift and store the paddy that will reach mandis during KMS 2024-25.”
Verma said, “It is necessary that at least 20 LMT rice/wheat is shifted out of Punjab from covered storage. The Principal Secretary, Food, Punjab, said that from September 1 to 22, 2024, only 6 LMT rice/wheat was shifted out of Punjab from the covered storage.”
He had sought instructions to all concerned to move out at least 20 LMT rice/wheat out of Punjab from covered space. “If this is not done, we will face huge law and order situation during the ensuing procurement season,” the CS had said.
In a demi official (DO) letter, Mateshwari Prasad Mishra, Director, Department of Food and Public Distribution (DPFD), has said that the FCI presently has a stock of around 132 LMT rice and wheat.
“The FCI has already planned to move more than 15 LMT rice by October-end. Furthermore, space for accommodating around 40 LMT grains shall be created by December to facilitate the delivery of rice during the kharif marketing season (KMS) 2024-25. Besides, there is feasibility of additional hiring of around 9 LMT storage capacity in the state that can be hired from central and state warehousing corporations (CWCs/SWCs) for storing custom milled rice (CMR).”
Mishra requested the state to get some minor repairs done in the godowns available with the state agencies that are at present storing around 40 LMT wheat, so that after liquidation/movement of these stocks by March 2025, CMR deliveries can be taken in these capacities.
With granaries filled to the brim and the outward movement being slow, the state has been raising the issue with the Centre. Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann had also written a letter to the Union Food and Civil Supplies Minister two weeks ago.
Flagging the issue, the CM said there was serious space crunch with the FCI since May onwards that hampered the delivery of rice of KMS 2023-24 by rice millers to agency. He said it also led to an apprehension among the rice millers about the space crunch during the ensuing kharif season 2024-25.
Punjab is already preparing to procure a bumper crop of paddy this season. The area under paddy has increased by 75,000 hectares and the arrivals are expected to be more than that witnessed during the last year.
