Punjab: Farmers complain about slow purchase of wheat

Punjab: With wheat harvesting at its peak, reports of discontent among farmers have emerged from various parts of the state over alleged delay in the procurement process by government agencies. In Fazilka, none of the 80 focal points have space to store fresh arrivals. Milkh Raj of Tahliwala Bodla village said he could not bring his produce due to lack of space at the procurement centre. According to official sources, 2,51,495 metric tonnes (MT) of wheat has arrived at the 80 rural procurement centres, of which only 68,754 MT (about 27 per cent) has been lifted so far. Similarly, out of the 4,08,077 MT wheat arrivals at grain markets and rural procurement centres of Fazilka, Abohar and Jalalabad, only 1,35,610 MT (about 33 per cent) has been lifted till Tuesday evening. The crop has piled up in the Mandis of Fatehgarh Sahib too due to delay in lifting. Deputy Commissioner Dr. Sona Thind said that till Wednesday, 1,55,477 metric tonnes of wheat has arrived in the Mandis, out of which 1,44,505 metric tonnes have been procured. However, out of this, only 50,873 metric tonnes have been lifted so far. The arrival of wheat has also started gaining momentum in the Mandis of Ludhiana. The arrival of wheat is much more than the capacity of the system set up for this purpose. The number of wheat-laden trucks reaching the Mandis is continuously increasing. Officials said that due to shortage of labourers and vehicles, the lifting towards Jagraon is comparatively less. In Patiala, Deputy Commissioner Dr. Preeti Yadav visited various grain Mandis to review the procurement process. While chairing the daily review meeting, Yadav directed the District Food and Civil Supplies Controller, District Mandi Officer and District Managers of Procurement Agencies to expedite the lifting of wheat.