Govt readies for storing wheat as sowing begins

It’s the case of once bitten, twice shy. With the space crunch for paddy having given sleepless nights to the government, the state has already started looking for ways to store wheat, even before the wheat sowing in the state is complete.

The Punjab Government anticipates a shortfall of 40 lakh metric tonnes of space for storing the next wheat crop. Various state procurement agencies have already started holding meetings to discuss ways to store wheat, as 35 lakh hectares of land is expected to be under wheat cultivation.

With the covered storage full, the state government is looking at all empty spaces where covered and plinth storage for wheat can be made.

Last year, too, wheat was stored on plinths because of shortage of space.