Punjab, Haryana cross 150 lakh tonnes paddy procurement

Chandigarh, Nov 5 : Achieving another target despite less than favourable weather conditions this year, Punjab and Haryana have crossed 150 lakh tonnes of paddy procurement this season, officials of the two states said Thursday.

While Punjab has procured over 120 lakh tonnes of paddy so far, Haryana has crossed 33 lakh tonnes of procurement this season.

The Punjab government is already eyeing a procurement target of 140 lakh tonnes this year. Procurement of paddy, which started Oct 1 will continue till next month, food and supplies officials in the state said.

Over 98 percent of the total paddy arriving in nearly 1,600 grain markets across Punjab has been procured by government agencies.

Officials in neighbouring Haryana are also expecting to cross the 40 lakh tonnes target of paddy procurement.