Assessment of farm level handling losses and marketed surplus of paddy in Punjab

The study estimated the marketed surplus and handling losses of paddy in the Punjab state. Overall losses of paddy at different stages of handling accounted for 2.47 per cent of the total farm production. The total retention of paddy on sample farms on an average accounted for 0.64 per cent of farm production. The percentage share of total as well as purpose-wise retention of total farm production declined with the increase in farm size. The marketed surplus of paddy increased with farm size and on an average accounted for 99.36 per cent of paddy output. The farmers had disposed of the entire marketed surplus immediately after harvesting and 99.20 per cent of this was sold to the government procurement agencies at the MSP. Sale of almost entire paddy marketed surplus immediately after harvesting has serious implications in handling by the procurement agencies.