80% procured wheat lying in grain markets

Manmeet Singh Gill

Amritsar, April 29

The slow lifting of procured wheat from the grain mandis in the border districts of Amritsar and Tarn Taran is becoming a problem for arhtiyas, labourers and farmers. Farmers are facing the shortage of space due to which it has become difficult to unload bring fresh produce from the fields to the mandis. On the other hand, arhtiyas and labourers fear if it rains, it would increase their work.

In Amritsar district, while a total of 5.11 lakh metric tonnes of wheat has been procured, only 86,000 tonnes of it has been lifted. In Tarn Taran too, a total of 6.61 lakh MT wheat has been procured, only around 1.11 lakh MT has been lifted. In both the districts, nearly 83 per cent of procured wheat is lying in the grain markets.

Most of the procured stocks in the grain markets are lying in the open as most of the grain mandis have very small covered areas as compared to the quantity of the wheat stocks lying there.

Shivcharan Singh, an arhtiya from Naushehra Pannua grain mandi in Tarn Taran district said, there was almost negligible lifting from the dana mandi ever since the start of the procurement season. “While the harvesting would be over within a week, the arthiyas and labourers would have to keep guard of the procured wheat stocks until they are lifted. Besides, it is causing a shortage of space in the market,” he said.

The officials of the food and civil supplies office stated that the slow in lifting has occurred as most of the trucks were required to be equipped with a GPS system so that their movement could be traced in real time while they were in transit.

District Food and Civil Supplies Controller Amanjit Singh said, “A total of 14 thousand MT crop was lifted from the grain markets in Amritsar on Saturday. ”