Paddy procurement down by 17 lakh tonne, but state meets 90% of 2022 target

As per FCI records, 162.54 LT, 169.36 LT, 176.9 LT and 165.15 LT were procured in 2019-20, 2018-19, 2017-18, and 20116-17, respectively.

Punjab procured 167.06 lakh tonne of paddy till November 11, which is around 17.11 lakh tonne less than the last year’s procurement. (File Representational Photo)

Punjab procured 167.06 lakh tonne of paddy till November 11, which is around 17.11 lakh tonne less than the last year’s procurement during the same period. Like last year, this year too harvesting got delayed due to the prolonged monsoon. Though the procurement is still on this year and is likely to end next week, the procurement ended on November 15 last year with a total government procurement of 187.86 lakh tonne (LT) of paddy.

This year Punjab has fixed a target of procuring around 18o LT (18 million tonne) of paddy and the state has already procured around 92% of its target.

According to Punjab Mandi Board till November 11, 168.69 LT paddy had arrived in the mandis of which 167.06 LT was procured to date and on November 11 last year, 187.36 paddy had arrived in the mandis of which 184.17 lakh tonnes was purchased.

Also, the daily arrival has come down from 7-8 lakh tonnes during the peak procurement days to less than half now as on Friday 3.30 lakh tonnes paddy had arrived in the mandis.

There are 2,385 mandies in the state, including 1,806 notified and 579 temporaries notified yards, where the crop is being purchased. Though Punjab’s procurement has been decreasing for the past three years (203 LT procured in 2020-21, 187.86 LT procured in 2021-22 and this year’s estimate procurement of 180 LT), if the state can meet the target this year, it would be the third highest procurement since 2016-17.

As per FCI records, 162.54 LT, 169.36 LT, 176.9 LT and 165.15 LT were procured in 2019-20, 2018-19, 2017-18, and 20116-17, respectively.

To date around 58% paddy arrived from eight of 23 districts in Punjab with Ludhiana topping the list with 15 LT of crop purchased till date followed by Sangrur (13.85 LT) and Patiala (12.78 LT). Apart from this, 11.61 LT, 11.11 LT, 10.53 LT, 10.11 LT, and 10 LT, were procured from Ferozepur, Moga, Bathinda, Jalandhar and Tarn Taran, respectively.
To date, Pungrain has procured 64.83 LT of paddy, followed by MARKFED which procured 42.14 LT paddy, PUNSUP 35.17 LT, and PSWC 18.97 LT while FCI, the central agency, has procured only 1.93 LT.

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This year according to the Punjab Agriculture department around 30.29 lakh hectares area was under rice, including Basmati, while in 2020-21 when Punjab’s procurement was highest in history, the area under rice was 31.49 lakh hectares, including 27.43 lakh hectares under Paddy (non-basmati), which was one of the highest areas under the crop to date.

In the past six years, the area under rice cultivation touched over 3 million hectares (30 lakh tonnes), including the highest area under paddy too between 25 lakh hectares to 27.43 lakh hectares.

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