State Procurement Agencies have emerged as leading players in Pataial district Mandis by procuring about 93 percent wheat of total arrival. Not only procurement, these agencies have also got succeed to make a payment share of 70.28 percent to the accounts of farmers directly, till now. Disclosing this here today, District Food and Supply Controller Harsharanjit Singh said that out of total procurement of 7,50,417 metric tonnes of wheat in the the district, four major procurement agencies such as Pungrain, Markfed, PUNSUP and Punjab State Warehousing Corporation have contributed 6,98,035 metric tonnes of purchase besides payment of Rs.885.37 crore, paid to the farmers. DFSC further said that so far the highest procurement in Patiala district has been done by Pungrain, which has procured 1,99,105 metric tonnes of wheat and transfer a payment of Rs. 305.22 crore to the farmers. Similarly, Markfed has procured 1,88,490 metric tonnes and transferred Rs 221.17 crore to the farmers' accounts. PUNSUP has procured 1,87,875 metric tonnes of wheat and paid Rs. 218 crore, till now. Apart from that, Punjab State Warehousing Corporation has procured 1,22,565 metric tonnes of wheat and paid Rs. 140.88 crore of wheat payment to the farmers. Has paid Rs. He said that the lifting of procured wheat was also being expedited by the procurement agencies and so far 62 percent of the wheat had been lifted. Apart from the state procurement agencies, the Central Procurement Agency, Food Corporation of India is also procuring wheat in the mandis, said DFSC Harsharanjit Singh by adding that FCI has so far procured 52,282 metric tonnes of wheat and made a payment of Rs 15 crore. He said that traders had also procured only 100 metric tonnes of wheat. He said that about 92 percent wheat produce of the target of the district has already reached the mandis and the target is expected to be achieved within next week. DW