By IANS,
Chandigarh : Punjab and Haryana have procured nearly 177 lakh tonnes of paddy this season, food and supplies officials of both states said here Monday.
While Punjab has procured over 130 lakh tonnes, Haryana has procured nearly 47 lakh tonnes. Bulk of the paddy (nearly 99 percent) has been procured by government agencies while the rest has been procured by private millers in both states.
Farmers in Punjab have been paid over Rs.15,000 crore this season, officials said here.
In Punjab, Ludhiana, Sangrur and Patiala districts were leading in procurement.
Punjab’s paddy procurement this season is 11 lakh tonnes higher than what it was in the same period last year. Over 118 lakh tonnes paddy was procured in this period last year.
In neighbouring Haryana, nearly 47 lakh tonnes of paddy has been procured compared to about 40 lakh tonnes that arrived during th corresponding period last year, officials said.
Kurukshetra, Karnal and Kaithal districts were leading in procurement in Haryana.
Procurement of paddy in both states started Oct 1 but the bulk of the stocks started arriving only after Oct 10.
In Punjab, the state government has set up 1,770 procurement centres.
The minimum support price (MSP) fixed by the government this time is Rs.1,250 and Rs.1,280 per quintal for common and grade-A varieties of paddy.