Nearly 3.3 mn tonnes paddy procured in Punjab, Haryana

Chandigarh, Oct 8 (IANS) After a bumper wheat crop earlier this year, Punjab and Haryana seem to be heading for a bumper paddy crop as well. Nearly 3.3 million tonnes of paddy was procured in both states till Tuesday evening.

Officials from both states Wednesday said paddy arrivals in grain markets across the two states were in full swing.

A Punjab government spokesman said nearly 2.2 million tonnes of paddy had been procured in the state till Tuesday evening.

In neighbouring Haryana, nearly 1.1 million tonnes had been procured.

The paddy procurement in both states, which account for more than half of the total contribution of food grains to the central pool, started Oct 1.

While in Punjab over 95 percent of the total paddy was procured by central and state government agencies, in Haryana the government agencies procured nearly 70 percent of the arrivals and private rice millers procured the rest.

Farmers get payments for their produce within 48 hours, the spokesmen added.

Punjab has set up 1,622 procurement centres in grain markets across the state.