Chandigarh : The Centre on Thursday sanctioned a Cash Credit Limit (CCL) of Rs 28,262.84 crore for paddy procurement in Punjab this kharif season that will last till October-end, official sources said.

Chief Minister Amarinder Singh’s personal intervention in the matter facilitated the CCL release, required to ensure timely payment to farmers, a spokesperson in the Chief Minister’s Office said.

“The Chief Minister has been taking up the issue with the Centre on a regular basis and met both Union Agriculture and Finance Ministers this week in New Delhi to press for Punjab’s case in the interest of state’s farmers,” the spokesperson said.

Amarinder Singh has directed all state procurement agencies to take immediate steps to ensure timely payment to farmers against their procured produce.

Punjab is expecting a bumper paddy crop, with likely procurement of over 180 lakh tonnes by various government agencies.

—IANS