Border districts need to be extra vigilant
Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister directs DFSCs to coordinate with Mandi Board officers for successful paddy season 2026-27
Chandigarh News: Lauding the District Food Supply Controllers (DFSCs) for ensuring the stupendous success of previous 9 procurement seasons, the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Mr. Lal Chand Kataruchak today exhorted the DFSCs to pull up their socks and ensure the success of upcoming paddy season (2026-27) too.
No paddy from outside Punjab should be allowed to enter the mandis of State under any circumstances, said Mr. Kataruchak adding that the DFSCs of especially the border states need to make sure that no bogus entries are done and they need to be extra vigilant in this regard.
The DFSCs most coordinate with the officers of the Mandi Board for a successful procurement season and take care to ensure that interests of all the stakeholders specially the farmers are well looked after.
As regards the storage space issue, the Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann is taking up the same with the Union Government at regular basis, added the Minister.
With regard to the faster movement of food grains from the State to create more storage space for the fast approaching paddy season, it was brought to the notice of Minister that the General Manager, Food Corporation of India (FCI) would be approached for accelerating the pace of movement of food grains from Punjab on priority basis.
The Minister was also apprised that the target for the Paddy procurement season 2026-27 has been fixed at 180 Lakh Metric Tonnes (LMT) and area under cultivation stands at 26.22 Lakh Hectare Area. The Minimum Support Price (MSP) has been fixed at Rs. 2441 Per Quintal. As regarding the Bales, 4.20 Lakh bales are already available against the need of 5.09 lakh which makes the availability come to 82 percent. Also, 3600 mills are ready for the allotment of paddy.
Among others present on the occasion included the Principal Secretary Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Rahul Tiwari, Additional Secretary Kamal Kumar Garg, Additional Directors Dr. Anjuman Bhaskar and Ajayveer Singh Sarao.
