Chandigarh, Nov. 18 -- The state food and civil supplies department has decided to wind up the paddy procurement operation this week amid negligible arrivals. This year, the arrivals and the subsequent procurement have been the lowest in the past nine years. Just 156 lakh tonnes of paddy have been procured, nearly 25 lakh tonnes less than the estimated arrivals of 180 lakh tonnes.

It is the lowest crop yield in the past nine years since 2016, when the paddy arrival was restricted to 140 lakh tonnes. In the previous five years - 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, and 2020, total paddy procured stood at 175, 188, 183, 187, and 162 lakh tonnes.

The floods and incessant rains in the month of August-September impacted the production with the loss in te...