Rohtak grain market packed, farmers stock wheat at crematorium

Ravinder Saini

Rohtak, April 22

With grain markets in Haryana running out of space amid tardy lifting by procurement agencies, farmers have been forced to unload their wheat stock at a cremation ground at Madina village, about 18 km from the district headquarters.

A large quantity of wheat has been lying in the open on the premises of the crematorium, located on the Narayana-Girawar road. Interestingly, government agencies have started procurement at the cremation ground itself.

Sources said against the capacity to hold about 20,000 quintals of wheat, Madina grain market had already seen the arrival of over 60,000 quintals (some portion had been lifted too) and the farmers were unloading their stock wherever they found space. There has been a demand for long to expand the market, but to no avail.

Heaps of wheat were lying on the crematorium premises while a pyre was burning nearby when The Tribune correspondent visited the spot on Saturday. “Over 20,000 quintals of wheat has arrived at the crematorium over the past week, half of which has been procured. We have little option but to stay put here amid the burning of corpses,” said a farmer.

Ram Ratan Sharma, a commission agent with a private firm, said the crematorium had been divided into two parts. “One part is used for cremation and the other for procurement. We have been paying rent for stocking the wheat,” he said.

Madina Gindhran panchayat sarpanch Shilender Kumar said they were charging Rs 5,000 a month. Besides the crematorium, Madina’s government senior secondary schools for girls and boys had doubled up as makeshift grain markets, he said, adding that farmers had put up their wheat on the highway as well. “Where else do we go when there is no space at the grain market? Farmers are unloading wheat wherever they find space,” said Ashok from Ajaib village.

Procurement pangs

• Amid tardy lifting, a Rohtak crematorium has been turned into a procurement ground
• Heaps of wheat lie on one corner while corpses burn on the other
• Two government schools are also serving as makeshift grain markets