- Punjab Minister Reviews Wheat Procurement in Amritsar Grain Market
Punjab Newsline | Chandigarh/Amritsar
Punjab Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak reviewed the ongoing wheat procurement operations at Bhagta Wala grain market in Amritsar. During his visit, he interacted with farmers, commission agents, and labourers to take first-hand feedback on procurement arrangements.
The Cabinet Minister stated that under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Punjab Government is fully committed to procuring every grain of farmers produce at Minimum Support Price (MSP), ensuring that no farmer faces any inconvenience in the mandis.
He informed that Punjab has been assigned a target of 122 lakh metric tonnes for the central pool this season. Despite adverse weather conditions, the state is confident of achieving this target. He added that robust arrangements have been made in all mandis across the state, and he is personally visiting procurement centres to review the arrangements.
According to official data, till the evening of April 21, around 61 lakh metric tonnes of wheat had arrived in mandis across Punjab, out of which nearly 56 lakh metric tonnes had already been procured. The minister also highlighted that farmers are receiving payments within 24 hours, and ₹7,109 crore has already been transferred directly into farmers’ accounts.
Kataruchak directed procurement agencies to ensure timely lifting of the purchased wheat. He also emphasized that adequate arrangements of tarpaulins and crates must be made by all agencies and commission agents to protect the produce from adverse weather conditions.
He further instructed all officials associated with procurement to ensure there is no negligence in mandis and that farmers and commission agents do not face any difficulties during the process.
Additional Deputy Commissioner Rohit Gupta informed that till last evening, 2,64,603 metric tonnes of wheat had arrived in Amritsar district mandis, out of which 2,41,535 metric tonnes had already been procured. He reiterated that, as per Punjab Government directions, payments are being made to farmers within 24 hours.
Among those present during the visit were MLA Dr. Inderbir Singh Nijjar (South Amritsar), MLA Dr. Ajay Gupta (Central Amritsar), PUNSUP Chairman S. Prabhbir Singh Brar, ADC (General) Rohit Gupta, SDM-1 Alka Kalia, DFSC Harveen Kaur, and officials of procurement agencies.