Mandi full, paddy finds space near piles of garbage

It is common to witness excess produce or stocks that have not been procured by agencies found dumped along roads. However, due to paucity of space in mandis, this time, produce has found its way near a pile of garbage at the Maqsuda Mandi in Jalandhar.

Paramjit Singh, a farmer from Chugitti village, looks on as labourers put his produce inside bardanas, and breaks his silence: "Jagah nai hai na zyada ethe (There is not much space here), that's why I have placed it here."

This Tribune correspondent has been visiting the mandi for the past few days and has found the grain stocks of farmers lying scattered near the garbage for drying. Slow procurement and lifting is resulting in a space crunch.

Farmers say they don't really have a choice. A farmer from Mithapur village said it was their "majboori" to keep their produce in such conditions. "Due to the waste and garbage nearby, stray cattle also roam here. It is our 'mehnat'; it hurts to see our produce lying like this," he said.

In the main grain market, too, produce can be seen lying on roads and outside offices of arhtiyas.

This sight is new to arhtiyas, too. Kashmiri Lal, president of the Arhtiya Association, said this was for the first time that paddy grains were lying outside their offices as well.