Chandigarh, March 31
Ignore the minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 650 per quintal for wheat for the current year for a while. Wheat, which has started arriving in various markets of Punjab, is fetching a price between Rs 700 and Rs 800 per quintal.

Farmers, whose crop has ripened early, are getting the maximum price for wheat by selling it before April 1, the day government agencies will start procurement in the state.

A quick survey conducted by The Tribune today in various grain markets revealed that farmers were unloading old wheat as well as fresh stocks there. Old wheat is selling at a price higher than that of the fresh commodity. Owing to its being dry, old wheat is selling at Rs 825 per quintal. Grains of fresh wheat have moisture content. Mostly flour millers are purchasing the old wheat. The fresh wheat is being bought by
private traders.

Mr Lajpat Rai, president of the Commission Agents Association, Rajpura, said that about 500 to 600 quintals of fresh wheat arrived today in the town's market. Fresh wheat was being bought by private traders after drying it a little.

He said fresh wheat started arriving in various markets a few days ago. Wheat arrivals were picking up, he added.

Reports of the arrival of fresh wheat have also come from Khanna, Samrala, Sangrur and other parts of the state.

From market trends it appears that private traders will make big purchases this year. The government agencies will face difficulty in procuring wheat at the MSP, which is far lower than the price farmers get at present in the open market. “We are certain that farmers will prefer to sell wheat to private traders this year instead of the government agencies,” said Mr Rajesh Kumar, a commission agent in Patiala.

Private traders are aware that there is a shortage of wheat in the country's buffer stocks. The Union Government has already placed an order to import 5 lakh tonnes of wheat. The Union Agriculture Minister, Mr Sharad Pawar's statement yesterday to increase the wheat import order by 1.5 million tonnes has further created doubts on the availability of buffer wheat stocks.