496915 MT wheat procured in Ludhiana till Wednesday, payment worth Rs 315 crore made to farmers

Ludhiana:

Deputy Commissioner Varinder Kumar Sharma on Monday directed Sub Divisional Magistrates (SDMs) to ensure timely payment to the farmers along with smooth and hassle-free, procurement and lifting of their golden grains across the district during the ongoing procurement season.
    While reviewing the procurement operations, Deputy Commissioner said that payment worth more than Rs 315 crore has been made to the farmers till last evening. He said that a total of 520443 MT of wheat has been arrived in the grain markets across the district till Sunday out of which 496915 MT of wheat has been procured by various agencies.
    Sharma said that the SDMs must-visit grain markets along with officials from Food Supply and Mandi Board daily in their respective jurisdiction to oversee the operations of procurement and lifting of grains besides ensuring promptly payments to the farmers.
    The Deputy Commissioner categorically said that any sort of inordinate delay in the procurement of grains is unwarranted, undesirable, and intolerable. He said that the Sub Divisional Magistrates must ensure elaborate arrangements by involving the entire government machinery so that the golden harvest of the farmers is procured and lifted as soon as it arrives in the markets.
    Sharma said that the fool-proof mechanism needs to be implemented for this procurement so that farmers do not face any sort of inconvenience in the grain markets.
    The Deputy Commissioner further said that in the current season 9 lakh MT is expected to arrive in the grain markets. Sharma said that around 108 permanent grain markets and 124 additional temporary purchase centres have been notified for the wheat procurement in the district.
    DFSC Sukhwinder Singh Gill informed that Pungrain has procured 141495 MT, Markfed 120165 MT, Punsup 105576 MT, PSWC 61065 MT, FCI 68336 MT and Private traders 278 MT. He said that almost 2.5 lakh MT (65% of arrival) of wheat crop has been lifted from the mandis. He informed that payments amounting to Rs 315 crore have been made to the farmers till yesterday.