More than 20,000 quintals paddy procured in Khanna Mandi of Ludhiana district

Ludhiana: In Punjab, the paddy procurement began yesterday and the state government has made foolproof arrangements in different mandis. None of the rice mills has been made a procurement center and it has been made mandatory for cartage contractors as well as millers holding custom milled rice to provide information about the quantity they have available. On the first day, more than 20,000 quintals of paddy was procured in Asia’s largest Khanna Mandi in Ludhiana district.

The state government has set a target of 182 lakh metric tons for paddy procurement and



1,806 mandis have been set up throughout the state. The rice mills have been linked with these mandis in accordance with the computerized GPS system. In each mandi, farmers will be authenticated through a biometric system and a nodal officer has been appointed for each mandi to keep a close eye on all the arrangements. 

Direct payment of paddy in farmers' accounts will be ensured and the Reserve Bank of India has set a cash credit limit of Rs 37,625.68 crore for the paddy procurement season.