In the current Kharif marketing season of 2024-25, the government in Punjab procured around 172 lakh tonnes of paddy, which is 7% less than last year's procurement of 124.25 lakh tonnes of rice equivalent.

Out of this, 169 lakh tonnes of paddy has been lifted by the government. The paddy is procured from farmers at the minimum support price (MSP) and is then custom milled by rice millers before being supplied to the Food Corporation of India (FCI). So far, about 94 thousand tonnes of rice have been accepted by the FCI.

The government is ensuring the quality of the stock, and the payment of MSP to farmers has been made on time. There have been no reports of rice smuggling or unnecessary rejections based on quality.

Despite the target for procurement being set at 185 lakh tonnes of paddy (equivalent to 124 lakh tonnes of rice), only 172 lakh tonnes of paddy, equivalent to 115.53 lakh tonnes of rice, was procured.

The reduced procurement is partly due to challenges faced by farmers in selling their paddy at government procurement centers.