He said due to storage problem in the state, rice millers are hesitant to buy paddy.
Demand for intervention by the Minister of the Interior to expedite the procurement process in the state
Punjab (Aaj Samaj) News Update, Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has once again demanded the Central Government’s intervention to find a permanent solution to the rice heave problem. Mann said he had already raised this demand with the Union Minister. Mann said there has been excellent production of paddy in the state and due to the storage problem here, rice millers are hesitant to collect paddy from the markets due to which there are problems in purchasing it. The Punjab CM sought the intervention of Union Home Minister Amit Shah to ensure uninterrupted procurement of rice in the state.
Mann spoke to Union Home Minister over phone
During a telephonic conversation with Union Home Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, he apprised him of the problems faced by the procurement process. He told the Home Secretary that issues such as cost of transportation, lack of storage, quality of hybrid variety and losses to sheller owners were having a negative impact on the procurement process. The Chief Minister has appealed to the Government of India to find immediate solutions to these problems for the benefit of the country.
The Chief Minister said that farmers, commission agents and factory owners are the backbone of the country’s food security. He said our farmers grow the grains while commission agents and millers ensure that their procurement, storage and lifting are done correctly. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that 185 lakh metric tonnes of rice are expected to reach the state this year. He said that the state government has taken concrete measures for uninterrupted procurement of foodgrains.
That is why there is a problem in lifting rice.
The Chief Minister said that some issues of millers such as storage, drainage and transportation of rice fall under the Central Government, due to which the lifting process is slow. Bhagwant Singh Mann said he has already raised these issues with the central government. He said a meeting of factory owners with the Union Home Minister will be held in New Delhi on Wednesday. He said the central government should sympathetically consider the legitimate demands of the factory owners so that the procurement process could be carried out smoothly.
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