Punjab Faces Storage Crisis Ahead of Paddy Procurement

Hindustan Times · india

Punjab is set to begin paddy procurement on October 1 across 1,832 mandis, but faces a significant storage crunch. State godowns are already overflowing with 280 lakh tonnes of food grains from previous seasons, far exceeding the total warehouse capacity of 180 lakh tonnes. This backlog includes rice and wheat, forcing agencies to use rice mills and mandi yards for storage. The central government has set a procurement target of 180 lakh tonnes for this kharif season, raising concerns about managing the new crop effectively.