CHANDIGARH, Aug. 27 — With the Kharif paddy procurement season around the corner, Punjab’s commission agents (arthiyas) met state ministers on Tuesday to press for long-pending demands, including commission rates, mandi oversight and procurement logistics.
The meeting in Chandigarh was chaired by Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian and attended by Transport Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar, along with office bearers of the Federation of Arthiya Association of Punjab led by president Vijay Kalra.
Kalra reminded the ministers that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had promised fortnightly meetings with arthiyas last October, but “this is the first meeting in ten months.” He stressed that a key commitment on commission payments remained unfulfilled. “The Centre allows only ₹46 per quintal — roughly 1.5% on MSP — while the chief minister had assured that the remaining 1% would be borne by the state. That promise is yet to be honoured,” he said.
To address concerns about procurement disputes, Khudian announced that moisture meters calibrated by Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, would be installed at all grain markets. He said the move would standardize measurement and “ensure fairness during procurement.”
The arthiya body also demanded fixed hours for combine harvesting, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., to better regulate moisture content in paddy stocks.
Kalra further alleged irregularities in mandi operations, claiming that “food and civil supplies inspectors rarely visit mandis and instead book stocks over phone messages, which leads to corruption.” He urged the government to ensure that only transport contractors with adequate logistics capacity are awarded procurement contracts.
The ministers assured the association that their “legitimate concerns” would be resolved quickly to ensure smooth procurement during the upcoming season.
