Punjab paddy procurement tops 150 LMT as mandis protest buying halt

Paddy procurement in Punjab crossed a record 150 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) in the 2026-27 kharif marketing season, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak said on Friday, 6 November 2026, with payments of Rs 33,000 crore credited to farmers' accounts. In the following days, however, farmers and arhtiyas (commission agents) protested in mandis in Kharar, Amritsar and Phagwara, saying government buying had been stopped in some markets before all the grain had been sold. Farmer leaders in Kharar alleged that the government had fixed 15 November as the last date for procurement without issuing a written notice. No official statement on a halt was found in the reports.

Paddy bought in Punjab feeds the central pool, the grain stock that the Food Corporation of India and state agencies hold for the public distribution system. Government agencies buy paddy from farmers in regulated markets, called mandis, at the minimum support price (MSP), a floor price the Centre fixes each season. For most Punjab farmers, this government buying is the main way to sell their crop at an assured price, so any pause in a mandi leaves grain unsold and income delayed.

The record figure and the protests point to the same pressure: a large crop arriving in a short window. When arrivals run ahead of the procurement target and of storage space, agencies may slow buying, and grain waits in the open. Farmers then face the risk of moisture loss or damage, and arhtiyas, who handle the sale on the farmer's behalf and earn a commission, face delays in their own payments.

The government has said it is committed to buying every grain. The protesters' claims of a verbal halt and a fixed last date have not been confirmed by an official notice in the reports, and the state's response will decide how quickly the remaining grain is cleared.

Peepals calculation: Procurement of 150 LMT is about 83% of the 180 LMT target (150 ÷ 180 ≈ 0.83), leaving about 30 LMT to reach it. Lifting of 110 LMT is about 73% of what has been bought (110 ÷ 150 ≈ 0.73), so roughly 40 LMT of purchased paddy was still waiting to be moved. In Phagwara, purchases of 8.17 lakh quintals were about 80% of arrivals of 10.22 lakh quintals (8.17 ÷ 10.22 ≈ 0.80). Our calculation from the reported figures.

Short-term: Farmers in mandis where buying has slowed may have to wait longer to sell, or sell to private traders. Arhtiyas are pressing the government for a clear written schedule, and farmer groups have threatened wider protests.

Long-term: A gap between the procurement target and the crop that arrives raises questions about how targets are set, how much storage the state has, and how fast grain is moved to other states. It also shapes the rice stocks available to the central pool for the rest of the year.

Who is affected: Paddy farmers in Punjab who have not yet sold their crop, arhtiyas and mandi labour, rice millers who receive the paddy for milling, and state procurement agencies working to clear the remaining arrivals.

What to watch next: Whether buying continues beyond 15 November, the date farmer leaders say was set as the last day of procurement.

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