Punjab govt seeks daily report on wheat procurement

Concerned over delay in crop lifting and payment to farmers, Punjab government today asked all purchasing centres in the state to send daily report on procurement operations.
The state government has sought daily report from the concerned department pertaining to crop arrivals, lifting and payment made to commission agents or farmers, an official spokesman said.
The officials directly responsible for the procurement operations have also been asked to ensure payments to the commission agents and farmers within 48 hours of the lifting of the wheat.
The commission agents have been asked to submit the actual bill of the wheat lifted simultaneously to the food department so that the payments could be made within the fixed time, he said.

Meanwhile, the spokesperson said 97,98,243 tonnes of wheat has been procured so far in the ongoing procurement season.
The government agencies procured 93,15,732 tonnes for central pool while private traders procured 1,46,611 tonnes of wheat till last evening.