The Lok Sabha MP from Gurdaspur, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, has written to Karunanidhi Kanimozhi, chairperson, Standing Committee on Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, alleging systemic collapse of Punjab’s food procurement system due to deliberate bias by the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre.
Highlighting “grave institutional and operational failures” plaguing Punjab’s food grain procurement ecosystem, the MP has said in his letter that these issues, exacerbated by the apathy of the Government of India (GOI) and the Food Corporation of India (FCI), have pushed Punjab’s agrarian economy to the brink of collapse.
“I urge the committee to initiate immediate corrective measures and demand that the Union Food Minister issue a detailed statement or white paper on the floor of the House to address these concerns,” said Randhawa.
Storage crisis & FCI’s mismanagement
The MP has pointed out that as of 2024, the FCI has failed to evacuate 114 Lakh Metric Tonne (LMT) rice from Punjab’s godowns, despite procuring 124 LMT in 2023-24. Only 7 LMT was moved, leaving 92 per cent of stocks to rot.
De-hiring of storage capacity
Randhawa points out in his letter that the FCI reduced Punjab’s storage capacity from 78.83 MMT (2022) to 71.15 MMT (2023), directly contravening the Private Entrepreneur Guarantee (PEG) scheme’s objectives.
Rail logistics failure
Randhawa said in 2024 Punjab sought 1,635 rakes but received only 197, delaying 84.25 LMT wheat and incurring Rs 182.29 crore in avoidable storage charges. In 2024, farmers blocked 74 rail locations, disrupting 20 trains due to FCI’s refusal to clear stocks.
Milling gridlock and arbitrary quality control
The MP pointed out the extent of millers’ losses in 2023-24 on account of PR-126 variety of paddy. He stated that millers incurred Rs 300-500/quintal losses due to lower yield. Also, the FCI rejected 600 stacks of fortified rice despite passing retests, violating SOPs.
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Alleging systemic bias against Punjab, the MP said the BJP-led Central government’s policies display blatant discrimination. “In 2022, Gol slashed Punjab’s wheat procurement target by 56 per cent unilaterally, citing ‘low arrivals’, while allowing unchecked purchases in BJP-ruled states,” he said.
Alleging step-motherly treatment, Randhawa said the FCI delayed SOPs for fortified rice until December 2023, prolonging milling into September 2024 and worsening storage crises. “Union ministers falsely accused Punjab’s AAP government of ‘negligence’ while FCI ignored PEG tenders for 31 LMT storage expansion. I urge the committee to direct the Gol and FCI to evacuate stranded stocks and clear 114 LMT rice within 60 days using dedicated rail corridors and prioritise Punjab’s rake requests,” he said.
The MP also demanded financial relief for Punjab and sought waiver of Rs 30,000 crore CCL debt accumulated due to FCI’s delays. “Punjab has fed this nation for decades, contributing 30 per cent of rice and 40 per cent of wheat to the Central pool. The time for empty assurances is over.
Either the Centre rectifies its institutionalised bias, or Punjab’s agrarian collapse will jeopardise India’s food security,” he concluded in his letter.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
