Grain of truth: Bathinda 2nd in wheat output after Sangrur

Nikhila Pant Dhawan

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, May 23

Bathinda district has secured the second place in the state in wheat production this year. The district recorded a production of 8.89 lakh metric tonnes of wheat this season.

Sangrur district topped the state with a record production of 10.68 lakh metric tonnes of wheat.

Ferozepur recorded a production of 8.65 lakh metric tonnes while Patiala recorded 8.48 metric tonnes of wheat.

Last year, Bathinda district had recorded a production of 7.91 lakh metric tonnes of wheat. This year’s bumper crop has also filled the godowns of national procurement agencies. As per the information, the procurement and lifting of wheat have been completed by almost all government procurement agencies.

Although lifting blues had hit the farmers hard in the grain markets of Bathinda district since the impasse between workers and contractors had led to the slow lifting process, the process picked up pace after April 15. Since a majority of wheat has been procured and lifted, the government has now cleared the payment of Rs 1,372 crore out of the total Rs 1,404 crore.

Of the total wheat produce and procured by the agencies, 2.88 lakh metric tonnes of wheat was procured by Pungrain, 23,990 metric tonnes by private traders, 1.98 lakh metric tonnes by Markfed, 1.79 lakh metric tonnes by Punsup, 1.66 lakh metric tonnes by the Warehousing Corporation of India, 73,618 metric tonnes by Punjab Agro, 39,387 metric tonnes by the Food Corporation of India.

Wheat has been procured at the rate of Rs 1,625 per quintal.

Notably, the grain markets in Bathinda faced a glut like situation with massive quantities of wheat flooding the market after April 15. Owing to the slow lifting and influx of wheat produce into the market, the farmers had to spend several sleepless nights at the grain markets. Some instances of farmers protesting against the government were also reported.