Food Corporation of India and other procurement agencies have procured 222.33 lakh tonnes (lt) of wheat till Sunday during the current rabi marketing season against 77.57 lt in the corresponding period last year, an official statement said on Monday.
Punjab, which witnessed some initial hiccups due to the protest by commission agents in the State, surpassed other States and managed to procure as much as 84.15 lt till Sunday. Haryana and Madhya Pradesh, which commenced procurement early, on the other hand, notched up 71.76 lt and 51.57 lt, respectively.
The first-ever procurement season which saw direct bank transfer of procurement payment in Punjab resulted in farmers receiving ₹8,180 crore in their bank accounts. In the country, as a whole, 21.74 lakh farmers received a total of ₹43,912 crore towards wheat procurement payment, the statement said.