Punjab wheat gives boost to procurement in Haryana

Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 4

Thanks partly to the arrival of Punjab wheat to some mandis in the state and partly due to better production, 65.51 lakh MT of wheat has so far arrived in Haryana till today despite decrease in the area under cultivation by 90,000 hectares.

Last year, 58.71 lakh MT that arrived in various mandis of the state till the corresponding date.

The total arrival of wheat last year was 67.71 lakh MT.

“Wheat crop was grown on 25.11 lakh hectares in the state this year. As against this, the crop was sown on 26.01 lakh hectares in 2014-15,” said Jagraj Singh Dangi, Joint Director (Statistics), Agriculture Department, Haryana.

Sources said due to delay in payments in Punjab owing to the cash credit limit (CCL) issue, several farmers from there preferred to sell their crops in the adjoining grain markets of Haryana.

Initially, when Punjab wheat started arriving in the Haryana mandis, the authorities claimed they would set up barricades to stop it. However, no efforts were made in this regard.

Sizeable arrival of wheat from Punjab is said to have found its way to Dabwali and Kalanwali grain markets of Sirsa, Ratia, Tohana and Jakhal mandis of Fatehabad and some grain markets of Kaithal, Ambala and Panchkula due to their proximity with the state.

Officials of the Agriculture Department and the HSAMB, however, denied any substantial quantities of Punjab wheat have come to Haryana.

Raj Kumar Beniwal, Chief Marketing Enforcement Officer in the HSAMB, said there were no reports of any major arrivals from Punjab mandis. Suresh Kumar Gahlawat, Joint Director, Agriculture Department, maintained the overall production per hectare of wheat was better this year.

He said the total arrival of wheat could cross 70 lakh MT this time. Meanwhile, Sirsa continues to top the state in procurement in Haryana. Sirsa DC Sharandeep Kaur Brar said 7.95 lakh MT of wheat had already been lifted.