Punjab: Central team collects samples, relaxation likely on discoloured paddy grain

By Gurpreet Singh Nibber

A 14-member team from the Ministry of Food and Public Distribution has drawn at least 100 samples from the freshly harvested paddy crop in 19 districts of the state to assess its quality. The results will be crucial in determining whether the Centre will approve a relaxation in the permissible limit of discoloured grain. Under normal circumstances, the discoloured grain content in paddy is not allowed to exceed 5%.

This move follows a spell of heavy rainfall between October 6 and 8, which caused significant damage to the crop, particularly in the border districts of Punjab. The paddy, which was fully mature and ready for harvest, suffered extensive losses due to the wet conditions.

In light of the damage, the state’s Food and Civil Supplies department has formally requested the central ministry for relaxation in the discolouration limit. The state is hoping to avoid any deductions in the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of ₹2,369 per quintal, which would otherwise be applied if discoloured grain exceeds the permissible limit.

“We hope to get a clearance for relaxation from the central ministry, so that no cut on the MSP offered to the peasants on purchase of paddy, is imposed,” said Lal Chand Kataruchak, Punjab’s food and civil supplies minister. While moisture content in the crop is not a major concern, Kataruchak added that discolouration is a major concern. This year, farmers are facing a direct financial hit due to the combination of adverse weather and the discoloured grain.

“It is a straight one-third loss to the crop due to rainfall, and different diseases like loose smut,” said Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Balbir Singh Rajewal, urging the government to compensate farmers for the substantial damage, which has left many unable to recover financially.

Despite the challenges posed by the weather, paddy arrivals at the mandis surged, with 5.2 lakh tonnes of freshly harvested paddy reaching the markets on Friday. To date, a total of 39 lakh tonnes of paddy have been procured across the state. The state’s food department, which is the nodal agency overseeing procurement, expects the total paddy procurement to reach 175 lakh tonnes this season. In line with the MSP program, the government has disbursed Rs. 7,472 crore to farmers.

This article has been republished from The Hindustan Times.