*Farmers will not face any inconvenience in mandis – Lal Chand Kataruchak*
*Paddy payments worth ₹2,511 crore made across the state so far*
*Farmers have faced no procurement-related problems over the past four and a half years*
*Cabinet Minister urges farmers to bring dry paddy produce to mandis*
Chandigarh/Bathinda, October 11:
Punjab Cabinet Minister for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Mr. Lal Chand Kataruchak, today visited the grain market Bathinda to review arrangements for paddy procurement.
On the occasion, he said that Punjab has received bumper paddy crop this year and the quality of the grain was very good. He made it clear that, owing to the robust arrangements made by the government, no farmer, arhtiya (commission agent) or labourer would be allowed to face any difficulty.
Minister Mr. Kataruchak said that under the leadership of Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Punjab Government had consistently fulfilled the two primary needs of farmers — uninterrupted procurement of their produce and timely payments. The state government had successfully met both requirements, and payments amounting to ₹2,511 crore for paddy had already been made to farmers during the current season. He added that every section of society was happy to be a part of the government’s efforts.
Sharing the latest procurement figures, Cabinet Minister Mr. Lal Chand Kataruchak said that 21 lakh metric tonnes of paddy had arrived in mandis so far, of which 20 lakh metric tonnes had been procured. He expressed confidence that the target for the Central Pool would also be achieved easily.
Providing information about the facilities available to farmers in the mandis, he said that farmer Jaswinder Singh from village Nasibpura had brought his produce to the mandi today morning itself and it had been procured immediately without any inconvenience.
Mr. Kataruchak said that no procurement-related problems had arisen in the state over the past four and a half years.
The Minister specifically appealed to farmers to bring only thoroughly dried produce to the mandis so that there would be no delay in the procurement process. He said that wheat and paddy play a significant role in Punjab’s economy and that the government makes adequate arrangements for the smooth procurement of both crops.
Responding to questions from journalists regarding stubble management, he said that the farmers of Punjab had set an example by managing paddy stubble without burning it. He expressed confidence that, in the coming days, farmers would manage stubble even more effectively with the help of modern agricultural equipment and technology.
He appealed to farmers to continue this practice, stating that Punjab’s farmers were well-informed and were themselves refraining from burning stubble.
On the occasion, Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Ms. Kanchan; Chairman of the Punjab Medium Industry Development Board, Mr. Neel Garg; Chairman of Markfed, Mr. Inderjit Singh Mann; Chairman of the Forest Department, Mr. Rakesh Puri; in-charge of the Bathinda Rural Assembly constituency, Mr. Gopal Singh; Chairman of the Bathinda Market Committee, Mr. Baljit Balli; Assistant Commissioner, Mr. Gurjinder Singh; District Food and Civil Supplies Controller, Mr. Gurtar Singh; District Food and Supplies Officer, Harshit Mehta; District Mandi Officer, Mr. Jaswinder Singh Chahal; and officials from various other departments were also present.
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