The procurement season is likely to begin next month.

Five agencies of the Punjab government and the central government's Food Corporation of India (FCI) procure paddy annually from over 1,600 procurement centres at grain markets across the state.

The biggest grain market in Asia is located at Khanna town, 60 km from here.

In 2008, the procurement agencies made payments of over Rs.10,000 crore (Rs.100 billion) to farmers in just over two months of paddy procurement.