Chandigarh, Nov 26 (IANS) Punjab has surpassed the 140-lakh-tonne paddy procurement target this year despite adverse weather conditions, food and supplies department officials said here Thursday.
Government agencies in the state had procured over 140.70 lakh tones of paddy till Wednesday evening. The officials added that the procurement figures made it a bumper paddy crop this time.

Farmers have been made payment of nearly Rs.14,000 crore since the procurement season started Oct 1.

Major stocks of the paddy crop started coming in the nearly 1,600 grain markets across Punjab only after Oct 15, the officials said. This was mainly owing to late sowing of the crop this year due to erratic rainfall.

During the corresponding period last year (till Nov 25), just over 131 lakh tonnes of paddy had been procured, said a spokesman of the chief minister’s office.

Government agencies, especially five agencies of the Punjab government, have procured over 97 percent of the total paddy procured while the remaining procurement was done by private rice millers and traders.

The central government’s Food Corp of India (FCI) procured less than 5 percent of paddy.

Sangrur, Ludhiana and Patiala districts led in paddy procurement this season.

In neighbouring Haryana, over 42 lakh tonnes of paddy had been procured this season.