CHANDIGARH: Punjab’s crop procurement oversight committee, a powerful quartet of ministers including Gurmeet Singh Khudian, Lal Chand Kataruachak, Barinder Kumar Goyal, and Laljit Singh Bhullar, convened Wednesday to blueprint the 2026-27 wheat buying season. Their agenda: iron out kinks in a process vital to millions of farmers.
Set to begin April 1, the season targets 132 LMT of wheat at Rs 2,585/quintal MSP—a lifeline for growers facing input cost pressures.
Topping concerns was storage adequacy. FCI’s post-August 2025 lifts total 5 LMT each of wheat and rice monthly, but 15 LMT monthly wheat removal is now imperative. CM Mann’s persistent central lobbying highlights the urgency.
Countermeasures include plinth-building initiatives, leveraging rice mill vacancies, district admin sync-ups, and FCI partnerships for emergency frameworks via DFSC.
Logistics prep is robust: 231,055 of 391,320 plastic crates delivered (balance by March), 675,000 wooden crates ordered, and ample LLDPE sheets for secure stacking.
Commission agents seek a commission hike from Rs 45 to 64 per quintal; the state is championing their cause federally. With stakeholder interests front and center, the ministers mandated unflinching transparency and hitch-free proceedings, signaling Punjab’s resolve for equitable procurement.