Arhtiyas raise concerns over ‘slow’ wheat lifting

Naresh Bhardwaj, president of the Arhtiya Association, Kapurthala, and former Chairman of the Phagwara Market Committee, raised serious concerns over the ‘slow’ wheat lifting in the main grain market of Phagwara. He said due to the delay in lifting, the market is overflowing with gunny bags piled up under the open sky.

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Bhardwaj pointed out that the government lacks sufficient storage facilities for the procured crop. The continuous spell of bad weather, including rainfall on Sunday, has increased the risk of damage to wheat worth crores of rupees.

He attributed the shortage of labour in mandis to these persistent delays in lifting wheat. “Labourers are forced to sit idle for days and their earnings are lost during this unproductive wait. Many leave without enough money to take home,” he said.

Bhardwaj revealed that before the procurement season, a meeting was held with the SDM, Phagwara, attended by arhtiyas and officials of procurement agencies. He criticised the government’s repeated failure to deliver on its assurances. “Every time, we are told that there will be no inconvenience to farmers, traders or labourers, but these assurances rarely reflect ground reality,” he said.