Wheat piles up in Khanna grain market

Gurminder Grewal

Khanna, April 20

As the process of lifting is slow huge piles of wheat bags can be seen at the local grain market. The Khanna grain market is Asia’s biggest market.

The Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner, Pradeep Aggrawal, and the Punjab Agro MD, Vikas Garg, visited the local grain market to inspect purchase and lifting of wheat. They directed officials concerned to procure wheat without troubling farmers and speed up the lifting process.

However, glut and poor lifting of wheat bags is creating problems for farmers and commission agents in the grain market.

“Around 57,845 tonnes of wheat has arrived in the grain market out of which 57,762 tonnes has been purchased by different agencies,” said Dalwinder Singh, the Khanna Market Committee secretary.

Around 17,428 tonnes of purchased wheat had been lifted while more than 40,334 tonnes was still lying in the market, he added.

There was a glut of gunny bags filled with grains due to poor lifting and fast arrival of the wheat in the market.

“The lifting is slow due to transport problem and fast arrival of wheat. However, we are hopeful of some early solution as special lifting by train is expected by Saturday,” the Khanna Commision Agents Association president, Sanjay Ghai, and arthiya Kamaljit Singh Kamma said.

“We are also expecting deployment of more tractor-trailers and trucks for lifting the crop from grain market. Officials concerned have assured proper arrangements for procurement and lifting,” the market committee secretary said.

“More wheat has arrived in markets this year as compared to the last year. Around 31% crop has been lifted while 69% purchased wheat is lying in the market,” he added.

According to information Rouni, Issru and Raipur grain markets around Khanna are also experiencing hick-ups in lifting of the wheat crop.

The Khanna SDM, Sandeep Singh, said the glut was caused due fast arrival of wheat in the market and transport problems. He, however, added that officials were trying to improve lifting and were hopeful of clearing wheat bags lying in the market within coming three to four days.