Storage Crisis Worsens as Paddy Procurement Begins

October

2026

Paddy procurement in Panjab began on 1 Oct, with the state facing an acute shortage of storage space. Panjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has once again written to Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution, Pralhad Joshi, seeking urgent movement of foodgrain stocks from the state. In his letter, Mann sought the movement of 600 KMT of rice between 1–10 Oct and 1.5 MMT of wheat during October, warning that inadequate storage space could disrupt paddy procurement and lead to a law-and-order situation in the state. Mann had earlier requested the union government on 5 Sep to facilitate the movement of 1.5 MMT of rice and 11.2 MMT of wheat during September before the 2026 procurement season began. However, only 830 KMT of rice and 430 KMT of wheat were moved out of Panjab between 1–29 Sep. Owners of foodgrain godowns with a combined storage capacity of 3.5 MMT have asked the state Food and Civil Supplies department to either vacate the godowns or renew their storage agreements with a fixed deadline. The state’s entire warehouse capacity of 18MMT is currently full. The government godowns already store 15.5 MMT of rice accumulated over the past three seasons. An additional 1 MMT of paddy from the last season is still waiting to be milled, which is expected to add another 600 KMT of rice to the existing stockpile. Godowns currently hold 11.6 MMT of wheat, while Panjab is holding at least 27.5 MMT of foodgrains. A severe space shortage has forced agencies to use rice mills and grain market yards for storage. Although the state government has set a target to procure 18 MMT at a Minimum Support Price (MSP) of USD 25.55 per quintal during the current kharif (monsoon) harvest, there is simply no space available to store the grain. Additionally, Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta) Ugrahan (BKU Ekta Ugrahan) has termed the union government's increase in the MSP of wheat by USD 0.26 to USD 27.10 per quintal for the coming rabi (winter) season a ‘cruel joke’ with farmers. BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) state president Joginder Singh Ugrahan said the hike amounted to just USD 0.0026 per kg and was less than 1%. Farmers also blockaded all Deputy Commissioner offices in Panjab on 5 Oct (earlier coverage).