As of 8 Nov, the Center has procured 12M metric tonnes (MTs) of paddy from Panjab, achieving 65% of the estimated target of 18.5M MT’s for the ongoing Kharif (summer) marketing season 2024-25, which continues until 30 Nov. A total of 12.6M MT’s of paddy has arrived in Panjab mandis (grain markets), with procurement carried out by state agencies and the Food Corporation of India. Paddy is being purchased at the Minimum Support Price of USD 27 per quintal. The procurement began on 1 Oct, with 2,927 designated mandis. The govt. stated that paddy procurement is going on without issues. However, in Karnal district, in Haryana, farmers with a total of 90K quintals of paddy have had their gate pass entries deleted across seven grain markets, sparking concerns of potential procurement irregularities. The Nissing, Haryana grain market saw the highest deletions with 772 gate passes of farmers with 42.6K quintals removed. While some deletions could result from clerical errors or duplicates, the scale has raised alarm about potential fraud. An official with the Haryana State Agricultural Marketing Board acknowledged the possibility of fake passes issued for illicit procurement attempts. Meanwhile, Panjab INC president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring criticized the AAP and CM Bhagwant Singh Mann, stating that the state govt. compelled farmers to experience a ‘black Diwali’ due to delayed paddy procurement. He highlighted that farmers have been waiting in mandis for over 20 days with no sign of crop procurement, ruining their produce and festive season. Economist Siraj Hussain questioned why procurement in states like Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand proceeds smoothly, while Panjab faces issues.
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