25% of wheat crop sown on 2.45 lakh hectares harvested in Ludhiana district

Tribune News Service

Nitin Jain

Ludhiana, April 23

In the absence of favourable weather conditions, the harvesting of wheat still remains at a slow pace even over three weeks after the official procurement of the main Rabi crop had begun on April 1 and 10 days after Baisakhi, the festival of harvest, in Ludhiana.

The delay in the wheat harvest could be gauged from the fact that 25 per cent of the total wheat sown over 2,45,200 hectares of area has been harvested in the state’s biggest and largest district till Tuesday.

Agricultural experts have attributed the tardy harvesting to the recent rainfall and low temperatures continuing for the past several days, besides the inclement weather conditions still persisting in the region.

However, the yield of wheat has gone up by almost 10 per cent this season as compared to the previous year, the official figures have revealed. From 4,591 kg per hectare in 2022-23, the wheat yield this season has touched 5,000 kg per hectare, which will lead to 12.26 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of crop production in the district this year.

The harvesting of mustard, another Rabi crop, was, however, in full swing these days with 97 per cent of the crop sown over 2,600 hectares already harvested in the district till this Tuesday.

The yield of mustard has also increased from 1,916 kg per hectare last season to 1,950 kg per hectare this year, which is expected to result in the production of 5 LMT of the crop in the district this season.

On the procurement front, 1.89 lakh MT (LMT) of wheat had arrived at mandis (grain markets) across 13 market committees in the district till last evening. Of this as well, 11,666 MT of the stock was lying unsold due to higher moisture content in the mandis.

This season’s wheat arrival was still less than 44 per cent of 4.31 LMT of the crop that had arrived at the mandis in the district during the corresponding period last year.

Official figures compiled by the Agriculture Department, a copy of which is with The Tribune, showed that 61,077 hectares, which accounted for 24.9 per cent of the total 2,45,200 hectares of wheat crop, has been harvested in the district so far.

The block-wise harvest figures revealed that 2,992 of the total 13,600 hectares of wheat has been harvested in Ludhiana block, 7,750 of 31,000 hectares in Mangat, 7,420 of 21,200 hectares in Pakhowal, 5,520 of 27,600 hectares in Jagraon, 6,644 of 30,200 hectares in Sidhwan Bet, 5,540 of 27,700 hectares in Sudhar, 5,550 of 18,500 hectares in Khanna, 5,075 of 20,300 hectares in Dehlon, 3,840 of 19,200 hectares in Doraha, 3,100 of 12,400 hectares in Samrala and 7,050 of the total 23,500 hectares of wheat crop sown in Machhiwara block has been harvested as yet.

When it comes to procurement, Asia’s biggest grain market Khanna has received the maximum of 32,576 MT of wheat so far followed by 23,514 MT at Machhiwara and 19,615 MT at Raikot.

Among other mandis, 14,265 MT of the crop has arrived at Doraha, 7,847 MT at Hathur, 7,670 MT at Kila Raipur, 19,562 MT at Jagraon, 7,782 MT at Ludhiana, 5,225 MT at Maloud, 18,162 MT at Mullanpur Dakha, 11,190 MT at Sahnewal, 14,776 MT at Samrala, and 7,123 MT of wheat has arrived at the grain markets under Sidhwan Bet market committee as yet.

Of the total arrivals so far, government agencies have procured 1.48 LMT while private ones have purchased 29,195 MT of wheat, which together was 94 per cent of the total 1,89,307 MT arrivals, leaving 11,666 MT, which accounted for 6 per cent of the total stocks, unsold.

While 42,105 MT of the procured wheat, which accounted for less than 24 per cent of the total purchased stock, has been lifted from the mandis, the rest 1,35,536 MT of the purchased grains, which accounted for over 76 per cent of the total purchased wheat, were still lying in the markets.

However, Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney, who has been reviewing the wheat procurement by visiting mandis on a daily basis, told The Tribune, here on Tuesday that the procured grains were supposed to be lifted within 72 hours of the purchase and in that time frame, almost 167 per cent of the wheat has already been lifted from the markets.

“Though the lifting process is well in place, we are further expediting it to avert any glut-like situation in the mandis as the progressive arrival will increase exponentially this week,” Sakshi added.

The maximum price that the procured wheat has fetched was Rs 2,285 per quintal while Rs 2,275 per quintal has so far remained the minimum sale price in the district.

On the mustard front, 2,517 of the total 2,600 hectares of the crop has been harvested in the district so far.

The block-wise mustard harvest figures revealed that 172 of 175 hectares crop has already been harvested in Ludhiana block, 266 of 280 hectares in Mangat, 144 of 150 hectares in Pakhowal, 196 of 200 hectares in Jagraon, 361 of 380 hectares in Sidhwan Bet, entire 330 hectares in Sudhar, total 203 hectares in Khanna, all 204 hectares in Dehlon, 160 of 178 hectares in Doraha, 147 of 150 hectares in Samrala, and 333 of the total 350 hectares of mustard crop has been harvested in Machhiwara block so far.

On the procurement front, a total of 5,927 quintals of mustard crop has been procured in the mandis across the district till last evening, which included a maximum of 3,424 quintals purchased in Jagraon, followed by 1,950 quintals in Khanna, 453 quintals at Machhiwara, and 100 quintals of the crop has been procured in Samrala mandi.

Asked to expedite lifting process, says DC

“The wheat procurement is going on smoothly across the district. I have issued instructions to speed up the lifting process to avoid a glut-like situation in mandis. Procurement agencies have been asked to take immediate steps to clear the procured stock from the grain markets in the stipulated time frame by putting all resources on the lifting process. Any negligence on anyone’s part will not be tolerated and appropriate action will be taken. We are committed to ensuring smooth and hassle-free procurement of wheat, for which the support of local commission agents has also been sought,” said Sakshi Sawhney, DC.

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