Wheat procurement touches 70 lakh tonne mark in Punjab

Chandigarh, Apr 28 (UNI) The Punjab Government has so far made a payment of more than Rs 6,000 crore to the farmers of the state as procurement of wheat touched 70 lakh tonnes mark yesterday, an official said here today.

A spokesman of the Punjab Government said the state Government has already set aside Rs 11,176 crore for total procurement season to ensure hassle free payment to the farmers.

He said Rs 8,000 crore has been placed at the disposal of Food and Supply Department for the month of April alone, an amount of Rs 951.50 crore has been allocated to PUNGRAIN whereas MARKFED has been allocated Rs 1,216.30 crore for wheat procurement.

Similarly PUNSUP have been allocated Rs 1237 crore and an amount of Rs 590.26 crore had been placed at the disposal of PSWC.

Similarly PAFC and FCI had been allocated Rs 661.68 crore and Rs 624.94 crore respectively.

The spokesman said six government agencies and private millers have procured more than 69.67 lakh tonnes of wheat in Punjab out of which 67.64 lakh tonnes, which was 97.01 per cent of the total procurement, has been procured for the central pool and 45,195 tonnes have been procured for the state pool.

Out of the total procurement of wheat in all the procurement cemtres of Punjab, government agencies procured 68.09 lakh tonnes of wheat, which was 97.7 per cent of the total procurement, till date whereas millers lifted just 1.57 lakh tonnes (2.3 per cent) of wheat.

PUNGRAIN procured 12.46 lakh tonnes (18.4 per cent) whereas MARKFED procured 16.18 lakh tonnes (23.9 per cent). PUNSUP procured 15.42 lakh tonnes (22.8 per cent), PSWC procured 8.59 lakh tonnes (12.7 per cent) whereas PAIC was able to procure 7.93 lakh tonnes (11.7 per cent) of wheat for the central pool.

The Central Government agency FCI had been able to procure 7.02 lakh tonnes (10.4 per cent) for the central pool.

The spokesman said for the state pool MARKFED procured 15,058 tonnes (33.3 per cent), PUNSUP procured 26,412 tonnes (58.4 per cent) and PAIC procured 3,725 (0.1 per cent) tonnes.

Sangrur District with 8.52 lakh tonnes of procurement was leading in procurement operations whereas Ferozepur District with 8.39 lakh tonnes of procurement was at second slot and Patiala district with 7.63 lakh tonnes of procurement ranked at third position, he added.

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