Admn gears up to protect wheat from showers, arranges tarpaulins

Considering the inclement weather conditions, the district administration has instructed Mandi Board and commission agents at all the grain markets in the district to procure maximum number of tarpaulin sheets to protect the grains from getting wet.

Officials said as rain was reported from different areas of the state, grain lying in the open at grain markets across the district could be drenched, which would not only cause increased moisture content but also lead to loss of lustre.

Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney said most of the grain markets have sheds, but as a large space is required to store the produce during the harvesting season, these are not enough. She said a large quantity of produce is unloaded in the open and it becomes necessary to protect it from inclement weather, especially rain.

The Deputy Commissioner said the tarpaulin sheets should be given to farmers to cover the heaps of grain. She said the district administration is making all efforts to ensure that the procurement process is completed smoothly.

The Mandi Board officials said the harvesting of wheat crop is picking up pace slowly. They said harvesting would start full throttle from the next week, which would witness rush at grain markets. The officials stated that farmers should bring fully ripened crop to the markets so that it could be procured the same day.