The government today said that over 65 lakh tonnes of paddy have arrived in the mandis, out of which over 60 lakh tonnes were procured by state agencies and the Food Corporation of India (FCI) in Punjab. The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution reported that an amount of 12,200 crore rupees has been released directly to the bank accounts of farmers in Punjab as of 28th October.

The procurement of paddy in the Kharif Marketing Season 2024-25 commenced on 1st October this year, and 2,927 designated mandis, including 1,000 temporary yards, have been opened throughout Punjab for the smooth procurement of paddy. The Centre has fixed an estimated target of 185 lakh metric tonnes for the ensuing Kharif Marketing Season 2024-25.

Paddy is being purchased at a Minimum Support Price of 2,320 rupees, as decided by the Centre for Grade ‘A’ paddy for the current Kharif Marketing Season, and the total paddy purchase to date amounts to 14,066 crore rupees. More than 3 lakh 51 thousand farmers have benefited from this.