Farmers advised to bring paddy with moisture content below 17 per cent; combine harvesting restricted to 10 am to 6 pm

Amritsar: DC Urges Farmers to Follow Paddy Procurement Norms, Avoid Stubble Burning Farmers advised to bring paddy with moisture content below 17 per cent; combine harvesting restricted to 10 am to 6 pm The Deputy Commissioner, Dalwinderjit Singh, has urged paddy farmers to follow the prescribed procurement norms and avoid stubble burning to ensure smooth procurement and protect the environment. The Centre has fixed the maximum permissible moisture content in paddy at 17 per cent for procurement, while the minimum support price (MSP) for the current season has been set at Rs 2,461 per quintal. The DC advised farmers to harvest their crops only after full maturity and bring dry paddy to mandis, cautioning that grain exceeding the prescribed moisture limit could create difficulties during procurement. The administration has directed the Chief Agriculture Officer and the District Mandi Officer to organise awareness camps in villages to educate farmers about crop maturity, moisture requirements and procurement norms. Combine harvester operators have also been instructed to carry out harvesting only between 10 am and 6 pm. Meanwhile, the DC held a meeting with officials of various departments at the District Administrative Complex to review measures aimed at preventing stubble burning. Observing that harvesting was almost complete in most parts of the district, he stressed the need to sustain awareness campaigns to discourage farmers from burning crop residue. Officials of the Agriculture Department and the Punjab Pollution Control Board have been directed to visit villages, explain the harmful effects of stubble burning and educate farmers about scientific methods of crop residue management. Subdivisional Magistrates (SDMs) have also been asked to visit villages, interact directly with farmers and monitor efforts to prevent stubble-burning incidents. Appealing to farmers to refrain from burning paddy straw, the DC said available machinery could be used to manage crop residue without setting it on fire. Farmers could also prepare bales of paddy straw for sale or use it as dry fodder for livestock. He pointed out that stubble burning causes air pollution, reduces soil fertility and destroys beneficial insects in fields. He urged farmers to adopt available residue-management techniques and contact their nearest Agriculture Department office for technical guidance. As per department of agriculture, punjab, paddy cultivation area in punjab increased from 32.43 lakh hectares in 2025 to a record 32.76 lakh hectares in 2026 whereas the MSP for common paddy rose from ₹2,369 to ₹2,441 per quintal, while the rate for Grade A paddy increased from ₹2,389 to ₹2,461 per quintal.