Chandigarh, October 6, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Nearly Rs 800 crore has been credited to the bank accounts of 19,222 farmers as Punjab’s paddy procurement season for 2026-27 progresses, Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak said on Tuesday.
Reviewing the procurement arrangements, Kataruchak said the state government was working to ensure a hassle-free procurement season for farmers, arhtiyas and labourers. He said payments were now being made even ahead of the stipulated 24-hour timeframe.
The minister said he had personally visited mandis in 10 districts—Gurdaspur, Patiala, Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar, Fatehgarh Sahib and Kapurthala—to assess the procurement arrangements.
Kataruchak said no complaints had been received from farmers or other stakeholders during his visits and appreciated departmental officers and staff for maintaining the pace of procurement. He directed them to ensure that there was no slowdown in the process.
He also said strict vigilance was being maintained at inter-state entry points to prevent paddy from outside Punjab from entering the state’s mandis.
According to the minister, a person allegedly from Haryana was caught at Jalalabad on Tuesday while bringing paddy from outside Punjab. A departmental inquiry has been initiated, and he said those involved in such activities would face action.
Kataruchak appealed to farmers to bring only dry paddy to the mandis and assured them that the state government would safeguard their interests.
Punjab has been assigned a target of procuring 180 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of paddy for the Central Pool, with the Minimum Support Price (MSP) fixed at Rs 2,461 per quintal.
The department has arranged 5.09 lakh units of bardana, while a Cash Credit Limit (CCL) of Rs 42,786.68 crore has been received for October, the minister said.
Principal Secretary Rahul Tiwari, Special Secretary Kamal Kumar Garg, Additional Directors Dr Anjuman Bhaskar and Ajayveer Singh Sarao, Deputy Director Food Procurement Geeta Bishambhu and General Manager (Finance) Sarvesh Kumar were also present at the meeting.
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