CHANDIGARH: Punjab government has fixed deadline of December 31,2008 for the payment of bonus on paddy amounting Rs.650 crores to the farmers by the end of December 31. This was stated here Monday by Adesh Partap Singh Kairon, the Minister for Food and Civil Supplies.

Kairon said that this was first time that bonus was being paid directly into the bank accounts of farmers those having their bank accounts. The bonus will be paid through cheque to the rest of beneficiaries, he added. He stated that in previous years the payment of bonus was taking more than year due to cumbersome procedures. The minister said that his department had prepared a data bank of about 10 lakh farmers. The government was also considering to issue J-form to the farmers online.

The minister further said that he had sent a proposal to the center government to allow border trade of Wheat with Pakistan and Afghanistan through Wagha land route to clear the huge Wheat Stock stored in Punjab. He said that state government was suffering due to non-lifting of Wheat by Food Corporation of India (FCI). "I have told FCI either to to take possession of wheat stocks and make the payment to state government", he said.  The state government was ready to maintain the reasonable stock of up to 20 lakh tonnes till the arrival of next crop, he added.He said that majority of his staff was busy maintaining stocks of Wheat which is sheer wastage of manpower.

Kairon further said that this year 120.75 lakh tonnes of paddy was procured by state agencies and about 11 lakh tonne procurement was made by private millers. He said that the actual arrival in mandis is rather higher if basmati and 2111 varieties are also taken into account.

He said that the sheller owners in the state were demanding to raise the ratio of damaged rice from 3 to 4 percent. While supporting the demand, Kairon said that he had personally met the union food minister and secretary of the department and sought the relief for sheller owners. He said that all formalities like sampling of rice were completed and center is expected to take a decision shortly.

Kairon urged the Union Government to help the Punjab farmers in every possible way and create an healthy environment for agriculture. He said that while all other states are recording recession in food industry, Punjab is showing growth. He said that the pace should be maintained.