Chandigarh, Oct 24 (IANS): A total of 38.41 lakh metric tons (LMT) paddy has arrived in markets of Punjab with daily arrival of 4.88 LMT, state Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak said on Thursday.
The total lifting has been 10.25 LMT and the daily figure is touching the 2 LMT mark, he said, adding that more than Rs 5,600 crore has been credited into the accounts of the farmers.
In the previous year, when the arrival was 38 LMT, the lifting figure touched around the 10 LMT mark with daily lifting coming around to 1.34 LMT. The payments then were pegged at a mere Rs 5,066 crore, he said.
"This year in spite of the season beginning late, the speed of government procurement, lifting, and payments is certainly much more than the past year," he added.
The minister further said that in some districts of the Malwa region, the arrival has been a little less but the millers are on board with the government and the moment the arrivals gain momentum, the procurement would ultimately be on a much faster track. Likewise, it was brought to the attention of the minister that out of the total 5,037 mills, 3,297 have applied for registration and 2,670 mills have been allotted.
Meanwhile, Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan said the non-lifting of rice from shellers "is a deep-rooted conspiracy of the BJP-led Union government to undermine the farming community".
During his visit to the Tanda grain market, Sandhwan said the Central government has failed to ensure the lifting of the rice from state shellers and has also been unsuccessful in guaranteeing minimum support prices (MSP), leaving farmers in a state of crisis.
"The Union government wants to penalise farmers in the mandis as retribution for their successful opposition to the three controversial agricultural laws," he said, advising instead of engaging in petty political calculations, the Union government should acknowledge Punjab's significant contribution to the nation's food security and ensure immediate relief by expediting rice procurement besides lifting of rice from shellers.