Lehragaga, 7 October:- Punjab Cabinet Minister Mr. Barinder Kumar Goyal today visited the grain market at Lehragaga and formally launched the procurement of paddy. On the occasion, he interacted with farmers, commission agents and representatives of the Sheller Association and gathered information about the facilities and arrangements required during the procurement season.
Mr. Goyal said that under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Punjab Government is committed to ensuring smooth procurement of the crop produced through the hard work of farmers. He said that ensuring that farmers face no difficulty in the mandis and that their produce is procured, lifted and paid for on time is a priority of the government.
The Cabinet Minister said that coordination among procurement agencies, market management authorities, commission agents and transporters is essential for the smooth functioning of the procurement process. He said that the lifting of procured paddy should take place simultaneously so that heaps of paddy do not accumulate in the mandis and farmers bringing their produce later do not face any shortage of space.
Mr. Goyal stressed the importance of cleanliness, drinking water, lighting and other basic facilities in the mandi and said that full attention should be paid to the convenience of farmers and labourers. He said that the concerned officials should work in coordination with one another to resolve any procurement-related problem immediately.
Appealing to farmers, the Cabinet Minister said that they should bring only dry and clean paddy to the mandis as per the prescribed standards. He said that bringing produce with high moisture content could delay procurement, whereas bringing dry paddy helps complete the procurement process quickly and also saves farmers’ time.
He appealed to commission agents, sheller owners and farmers to cooperate in successfully completing the procurement season. Mr. Goyal said that the difficulties faced by farmers, commission agents, labourers and other sections associated with the procurement process would be resolved on priority.
On the occasion, Jeewan Kumar Rabbar, President of the Arhtiya Association Lehragaga; Sheeshpal Anand, Chairman of Market Committee Lehra; commission agents Megh Raj, Vijay Kumar, Ajay Kumar Tholi and Om Prakash, besides a large number of commission agents, representatives of the Sheller Association and farmers, were present.
