Ludhiana, November 4 — As mandis across Punjab struggle to keep up with the rush of harvested paddy, Ludhiana has quietly pulled ahead — becoming the state’s top district in lifting the crop from procurement centres.
With Ludhiana East recording 108.12 per cent lifting and Ludhiana West 105.67 per cent, both circles have surpassed all others in Punjab, ensuring farmers don’t have to wait for their grain to move.
Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Jain credited the success to daily monitoring and coordination between agencies.
“We made it our priority that farmers do not suffer. Every day, we track arrivals and lifting till late hours,” Jain said.
District Food and Supplies Controller Shefali Chopra said over 10.06 lakh metric tonnes of paddy had arrived in the district’s mandis, of which 9.83 lakh tonnes had already been lifted. Payments worth ₹2,173 crore have reached farmers’ bank accounts.
Officials said the pace of harvesting was initially slow due to weather, but has now picked up sharply. Strict instructions from the DC against any delay in procurement helped streamline the process, making Ludhiana a model for other districts this season.
