Punjab Paddy Growers Set To Lose Rs 200 Cr

This is forcing the farmers to sell the super-fine varieties under fine category, at an average loss of Rs 20 per quintal.

The agriculture and food departments of the Punjab government maintain that most of the paddy grown in the state falls under super-fine category and hence should be purchased at the rate of Rs 415 per quintal. The procurement agencies buy the same at the rate of Rs 395 per quintal.

A Food Corporation of India spokesman said that out of the 26,49,482 tonnes of paddy procured in different mandis in Punjab so far, only 6,636 tonnes had been purchased at super-fine rates. About 23,78,983 tonnes have been procured under fine category and 2,63,536 tonnes under the still lower common variety. The FCI spokesman asserted that under the specifications of the Union food ministry, there was no question of the procurement agencies procuring fine category of paddy as super-fine. As per the food ministrynotification, the admixture of inferior varieties should be limited to 10 per cent in case of paddy and 14 per cent in rice to enable the sample to get the super-fine classification.

 

The farmers are disappointed as the state government has not received any positive response from the Centre so far. Chief minister Harcharan Singh Brar had called on Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda last week in this regard.

Gowda had asked him to explain the case to Union food minister before a final decision.

According to official sources, Brars meeting with the food minister has not been fixed yet.

Experts point out that the paddy growers have sold nearly one-third of the paddy produced in the state and by the time the Punjab government succeeds in bring round the Centre to its viewpoint, the paddy marketing season will be over.

The Punjab government has been trying to convince the Centre to replace the three-tier classification of paddy with a two-tier one to remove confusion.

It is also an open secret that Punjab is facing the problem of plenty with regard to paddy. The state has produced more than 71 lakh tonnes of paddy this year nearly 4 lakh tonnes more than the previous year.

Since there is little consumption of rice within Punjab, the state has to sell the large quantities of paddy to other states.

Now the problem is that the other states are also becoming self-sufficient in rice production.