Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak takes stock of Wheat procurement operations at Gurdaspur Dana Mandi

Out of 61 LMT arrival, 57 LMT procured & Rs. 7109 crore credited into accounts of farmers

Punjab Government stands committed to procure every single bale of Grain

Chandigarh/Gurdaspur, April 22:The Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak today visited Gurdaspur Dana Mandi to take stock of the Wheat procurement operations. He was accompanied by the Halqa Incharge Gurdaspur Raman Behl, Halqa Incharge Dinanagar Shamsher Singh, SDM Gurdaspur Anupreet Kaur, Chairman Market Committee Gurdaspur Bharat Bhushan Sharma and Deputy Director Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs Rajnish Kaur.

During interaction with the mediapersons, the Minister divulged that the State Government led by the Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann is duty bound to procure every single bale of Grain of the farmers. Till date, a total of 61 Lakh Metric Tonnes (LMT) of Wheat has arrived in the mandis of the State out of which 57 LMT stands procured with payments worth Rs. 7109 Crore made into the accounts of the farmers. Yesterday, 12 LMT of wheat arrived in the mandis which is a proof of the fast pace of the arrival of crops, said the Minister.

He also mentioned that adequate facilities have been ensured in the mandis for the benefit of the farmers and he is personally inspecting the procurement process everyday by visiting the mandis.

The Minister further disclosed that the State has got a target to procure 122 LMT of wheat this season.

While interacting with the farmers and arhtiyas, a farmer named Harjinder Singh from Bahia village said that he brought his produce today Morning and same has been procured today itself.

The Minister also took stock of the availability of bardana, lifting, cleanliness, Sanitation and clean drinking water arrangements. He also directed the officers to ensure the farmers encounter no difficulty in the mandis

In Gurdaspur, 1,69,195 LMT of Wheat has been procured till now and payments to the tune of Rs. 267.60 Crores have credited into the accounts of the farmers.

Among others also present on the occasion included the Zila Parishad Member Advocate Sucha Singh Multani, DFSC Gurdaspur Amanjot Singh, District Mandi Officer Jaswinder Singh, President Beopar Mandal Ashwani Mahajan.

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**Food & Civil Supplies Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak reviews ongoing wheat procurement at Bhagtanwala Grain Market**

**Despite adverse weather, Punjab will contribute 122 Lakh metric tonnes to the central food pool: Kataruchak**

**Punjab Government committed to procuring every grain of wheat at MSP: Kataruchak**

Chandigarh/Amritsar, April 22 –Punjab’s Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister, Lal Chand Kataruchak, today reviewed the ongoing wheat procurement operations at Bhagtanwala Grain Market in Amritsar. During his visit, he interacted with farmers, commission agents, and labourers to gather firsthand information about procurement arrangements.

On the occasion, MLA South Amritsar Dr. Inderbir Singh Nijjar, MLA Central Amritsar Dr. Ajay Gupta, Chairman PUNSUP S. Prabhbir Singh Brar, Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Rohit Gupta, SDM-1 Alka Kalia, DFSC Harveen Kaur, and officials of procurement agencies were also present.

After reviewing procurement at Bhagtanwala Mandi, while addressing the media at the Market Committee Office, the Cabinet Minister said that under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Punjab Government is committed to procuring every single grain of farmers’ produce at the Minimum Support Price (MSP), and no farmer will face any inconvenience in the mandis.

The Minister further stated that Punjab has been assigned a target of 122 Lakh metric tonnes for the central pool this season, and despite unfavorable weather conditions, the state will achieve this target. He added that foolproof arrangements have been made across all mandis in the state, and he is personally visiting procurement centres to review the arrangements.

He informed that till yesterday evening, 61 Lakh metric tonnes of wheat had arrived in mandis across the state, out of which around 56 Lakh metric tonnes had already been procured. Payments to farmers are being made within 24 hours, and an amount of ₹7,109 crore has already been credited to farmers’ accounts. He also directed procurement agencies to ensure timely lifting of the purchased wheat.

The Minister emphasized that all agencies and commission agents have been instructed to make adequate arrangements of tarpaulins and crates to protect the produce from adverse weather. He issued strict directions to all officials associated with procurement to ensure there is no laxity in mandis and that no farmer or commission agent faces any difficulty.

On this occasion, Additional Deputy Commissioner Rohit Gupta informed that till yesterday evening, 2,64,603 metric tonnes of wheat had arrived in mandis of Amritsar district, out of which 2,41,535 metric tonnes had already been procured. He reiterated that as per Punjab Government’s directions, payments are being made to farmers within 24 hours.