Sirsa: Farmers upset over sluggish pace of lifting procured grain

Anil Kakkar

Sirsa, April 19

The sluggish pace of lifting procured wheat in grain markets here and the wrath of nature have left farmers in distress. Today’s downpour, accompanied by strong winds, soaked the crops lying in the grain markets. Concerns over the slow pace of lifting operations prompted the Sirsa Arhtiya Association to issue a 24-hour ultimatum to the administration. Association’s president Manohar Mehta chaired a meeting on Friday to address the issue.

During the meeting, grievances were aired against the functioning of contractors and officials of HAFED. Farmers expressed frustration over the lack of action against contractors and the inadequate number of trucks for lifting operations. With wheat harvest piled up in bags, the delay in lifting is causing financial strain on both farmers and traders. The inclement weather exacerbates the situation, posing a threat to the harvested wheat. Moreover, the open-air setting of the grain markets exposed the harvested wheat to the rain on Thursday night and Friday morning. Farmers were seen scrambling to cover their crops with tarpaulins to protect them from getting soaked. Consequently, wheat harvesting activities have been halted temporarily in anticipation of further rainfall.

Mehta convened a meeting of all stakeholders to take stock of the situation. During the meeting, the district manager of HAFED was also present. Mehta emphasised the need for prompt action, urging an increase in the number of vehicles to expedite the lifting of wheat. He warned that if wheat lifting operations are not expedited within 24 hours, a complete strike would be called in the market. Furthermore, Mehta highlighted the financial difficulties faced by farmers due to the delay in wheat lifting. He pointed out that until the wheat brought to the market is lifted, farmers do not receive payments, despite having already sold their produce. This delay in payments is compounding the financial crisis for farmers.

Meanwhile, HAFED district manager Mangeraam acknowledged the challenges but attributed the delays to logistics issues. He said that although there were 90 trucks available with the contractors, the wheat lifting process has not been completed efficiently. He cited shortage of labour and vehicles, partly due to elections in Bihar, as contributing factors to the delay. However, he assured that efforts were being made to rectify these issues and streamline the procurement process. The grain markets in the district have already received 2,35,752 MT of wheat.