Punjab to procure 132 lakh tonnes of wheat

Chandigarh, March 29

Punjab has fixed a target of procuring 132 lakh tonnes of wheat that will begin on April 1 and culminate on May 31, officials said on Tuesday.

The Centre has fixed the minimum support price (MSP) of wheat at Rs 2,015 per quintal, hiking it by Rs 40 from last year's Rs 1,975 per quintal.

With the efforts of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for seeking Cash Credit Limit (CCL) from the Centre before the commencement of wheat procurement, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Monday cleared Rs 24,773.11 crore towards CCL up to April-end.

Meanwhile, Mann expressed gratitude to the Centre for timely release of CCL, which would go a long way in ensuring seamless procurement of the wheat.

He directed the state Food and Civil Supplies Department to ensure smooth and hassle-free procurement of wheat, besides making payment to them of their produce from April 1.