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Questions and Answers
What is one of the immediate short-term issues contributing to slow paddy procurement in Punjab?
Which long-term issue is affecting paddy cultivation in Punjab and Haryana?
How does the delayed procurement of paddy affect farmers' actions in Punjab and Haryana?
What environmental issue could arise from delayed paddy procurement?
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What assurance was given to farmers regarding the procurement of paddy?
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Which of the following factors contributes to millers' hesitance to lift paddy from farmers?
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What is a consequence of excessive paddy cultivation in Punjab and Haryana?
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Which of the following is viewed as an ultimately insufficient fix to the procurement issue?
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Study Notes
Paddy Procurement in Punjab and Haryana
- The slow pace of paddy procurement in Punjab is due to a combination of short-term official incompetence and long-term policy failures.
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Short-term Issues
- Lack of storage space for the new crop. 119 tonnes of rice from last year's 124.1 tonnes of milled grain are still in Punjab's warehouses.
- The Food Corporation of India (FCI) is not moving this rice out of the state.
- Millers are hesitant to lift paddy brought by farmers on behalf of state agencies due to uncertainty about timely delivery of custom-milled rice.
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Long-term Issues
- Policy failure to wean Punjab and Haryana away from paddy cultivation. There is no need for these states to grow rice since other states can meet the country's needs.
- Excessive paddy cultivation: Punjab and Haryana's paddy area reached a record high of 32.4 lakh and 16.4 lakh hectares respectively.
- Overproduction: India currently has record-high stocks of 386.8 tonnes of rice in government warehouses.
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Farmer Impact and Concerns
- Tardy Procurement: Farmers in Punjab and Haryana are suffering from the slow paddy procurement. Heaps of un-lifted grain are lying in mandis.
- Slowed Harvesting: Farmers are slowing down harvesting their already ripened paddy due to the lack of procurement.
- Sowing Window: The delayed procurement is narrowing the window for sowing the next wheat crop, which needs to be planted before mid-November for a desired harvest by early-April. This could lead farmers to rely on stubble burning to clear fields.
- Environmental Impact: Stubble burning leads to air quality problems in North India, including the national capital.
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Government Assurances
- Minister Pralhad Joshi has assured farmers of procurement of all grain by November-end.
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Conclusion
- The solution to resolve this problem must begin in Punjab and Haryana.
- Creating more storage space is an immediate but ultimately insufficient short-term fix for the deeper political and logistical issues hindering efficient paddy procurement.
- The excessive production and lack of storage are not only impacting current farmers but the environmental sustainability as well.
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Description
Explore the challenges faced in the paddy procurement process in Punjab and Haryana. This quiz covers both short-term operational hurdles and long-term policy failures that impact paddy production and distribution in these key agricultural states of India.
