New Delhi, Oct 23 (PTI) The Centre on Wednesday said it has provided a month-wise plan allocating maximum rail rakes to Punjab for expedited evacuation of existing rice stocks, as the state grapples with storage constraints affecting fresh paddy procurement.
Punjab, which currently holds 130 lakh tonnes of rice, faces logistics hurdles as it aims to procure 124 lakh tonnes in the current season. Officials report 32 lakh tonnes of paddy have been purchased since October 1.
"The highest priority has been given to Punjab and Haryana for evacuation of the stock," Union Food Minister Prahlad Joshi told reporters, addressing concerns over procurement delays.
He emphasised that a detailed space-creation strategy has been shared with the state government.
"We have given a detailed plan to the Punjab government on creation of space. ...Highest number of rakes have been provided...," he added.
The minister reiterated the Centre's commitment to procure 185 lakh tonnes of paddy, equivalent to 124 lakh tonnes of rice, from Punjab during the current marketing season.
"The government of India has clearly without any ambiguity clarified to them (Punjab) that we will purchase the committed quantity in time," Joshi said, adding that Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had expressed satisfaction with the central government's assurance.
The procurement season began on October 1, with the Centre working to balance existing storage constraints with fresh crop arrivals.