Chandigarh, Nov 5 (IANS): Over 105 lakh tonnes of paddy has been procured in Punjab this season, food and supplies officials in the state said Tuesday.
Despite some paddy produce arriving in discoloured form and higher moisture content due to erratic weather in recent months, leading to central agencies not to buy this stock, the procurement of paddy has crossed the 100 lakh tonnes mark this year.
Over 99.75 lakh tonnes, or 94.6 percent of the paddy arrival, have been procured by government agencies while the rest has been bought by private rice sellers and traders.
Sangrur, Patiala and Ludhiana districts were leading in paddy procurement, the officials said.
In neighbouring Haryana, nearly 36 lakh tonnes of paddy have so far arrived in the various grain markets, officials said.
Kurukshetra, Karnal and Fatehabad districts were leading in paddy arrivals.
Procurement of paddy in both states started Oct 1.