No arrival of wheat on first day at 23 purchase centres in Karnal district
Karnal, April 1
No arrival of wheat has been reported at 23 purchase centres across the district on the first day of wheat procurement – April 1. The district administration is anticipating arrival of nearly 8 lakh metric tons (MT) this season compared to 7.8 lakh MT last season, for which it has completed all the preparations.
As per agricultural experts, the harvesting of wheat is yet to start. They said that it was delayed by three to four days due to a recent decline in temperature over the past couple of days.
“The sudden dip in temperature has had an adverse effect on the harvesting schedule. The harvesting will take three to four more days,” said Dr Wazir Sigh, Deputy Director Agriculture (DDA). He maintained that as per the data of the ‘Mera Fasal, Mera Byora’, around 3.8 lakh acres have been verified for wheat production. The department has taken an average yield of 23 quintals per acre.
He advised farmers to bring their produce after proper cleaning and ensure the grains are adequately dried. He said that efforts were being made to address the issues being faced by the farmers regarding non-updating of their data on the e-kharid portal. The Haryana State Agricultural Marketing Board (HSAMB) is looking after the portal to address the issues, he added. Akhil Pilani, Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC), said that no arrival of wheat has been reported at all the 23 purchase centres in the district. “We have completed our preparation for procurement. Our focus will be on purchase as well as on speedy lifting, so that the farmers do not face any difficulty,” said ADC Pilani.