Chandigarh, Dec 11 (IANS) With a bumper crop, Punjab and Haryana have procured over 250 lakh tonnes of paddy so far this year, officials from the Food and Supplies Department said here on Monday.
Punjab has procured nearly 179 lakh tonnes of paddy while Haryana saw an arrival of 71.21 lakh tonnes, which is the highest ever.
Government agencies have procured 98.5 per cent of the paddy arriving in the grain markets in Punjab.
Out of the total arrival, over 59.11 lakh tonnes was procured whereas more than 12.10 lakh tonnes of paddy was purchased by millers and dealers.
The Reserve Bank of India had sanctioned over Rs 33,800 crore for paddy procurement in Punjab in this kharif season.
Nearly Rs 32,000 crore worth of payments have been made to farmers and arhtiyas (commission agents).
In Haryana, the paddy procured was much higher than the nearly 69.6 lakh tonnes in the corresponding period last year.
"It has happened for the first time. Since the inception of Haryana in 1966, the state has logged an all-time high in paddy arrivals and procurement up to November 30, 2017. Figures for both exceed those ever recorded during any procurement season in the history of the state," a Haryana government spokesman said.
The procurement last year was also an all-time high, the spokesman said.
Punjab saw a record of 168 lakh tonnes.
The procurement began in both states on October 1. The paddy procurement season ends on December 15.
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