Chandigarh: Paddy procurement, which started from October 1, is not picking up pace even after 14 days. The piles of paddy in the mandis have given the opposition an opportunity to attack the government. Be it opposition leader Pratap Singh Bajwa or Shiromani Akali Dal's Bikram Majithia and Dr. Daljit Singh Cheema, both have adopted an aggressive stance towards the government regarding the purchase and lifting of paddy in the mandis, while Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is angry with the farmers. holding the central government responsible for
The main reason for pollution is PR 126 variety of paddy, which no sheller owner is ready to plant in his area. With the beginning of the paddy season, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and his ministers and departments praised this variety and described it as a stubble and water saving variety. Aam Aadmi Party's chief spokesperson Neel Garg regularly said that such campaigns of the government have resulted in electricity savings of Rs 477 crore in Punjab and also saved 4.82 billion cubic meters of water, which would have reduced groundwater depletion. be prevented from happening
On the other hand, sheller owners are not ready to accept this fate raising the issue of breakdown and out turn ratio. Punjab Rice Mills Association President Tarsem Saini says that the sale of hybrid seeds in the name of PR 126 has increased. At the time of shelling, 40 to 45 percent of its grains are broken whereas 25 percent of the grains of other varieties are broken.
Commission Agent Association President Vijay Kalra says that the problem is not PR 126 but the hybrid sold under the name PR 126. During threshing, 58 to 62 kg of rice is obtained from one quintal of paddy whereas from other varieties of paddy, 67 kg of rice is obtained per quintal. Last year also, sheller owners suffered huge losses. There is a need to take up this matter with the central government.
PR 126 variety matures in 93 to 105 days, which is much less than Pusa 44. Due to less time taken in cooking, water consumption is also less. Moreover, farmers get enough time between paddy harvesting and wheat sowing to dispose of the stubble.
There is a rule to take 67 grains of rice per quintal from the sheller owners. But sheller owners say that the yield of PR 126 is 62 kg. Who will bear the loss of five forts? Vijay Kalra says that this loss is Rs 200 per quintal and due to breakage there is a loss of Rs 100. In such a situation, sheller owners are reluctant to buy paddy, due to which there are piles of paddy in the markets.