Rain, hailstorm delay wheat harvesting, procurement in Patiala mandis

Unseasonal rain and hailstorms over the past couple of weeks have disrupted wheat harvesting and procurement in the district, resulting in slow arrival of grain in mandis. The moisture content remains above the permissible procurement limit of 12 per cent.

However, no damage to the wheat stock lying in the mandis due to rain has been reported so far. The intermittent rain continued across the district on Tuesday.

The District Food and Civil Supplies Controller, Ravinder Kaur, said wheat harvesting and arrivals in mandis had begun on a slow note in the district. Till Monday evening, about 4,500 metric tonnes (MT) of wheat had arrived in various mandis, of which 3,600 MT had been lifted by procurement agencies.

She said procurement started on April 1 at 108 mandis and 89 temporary procurement centres set up across the district. The district expects about 9.13 lakh MT of wheat arrivals during the ongoing procurement season, slightly lower than 9.21 lakh MT recorded last year.

Meanwhile, officials said around 15-20 per cent of the wheat crop was affected by rain, hailstorms and strong winds in the recent days. The rainfall also led to waterlogging in several fields, while lodging of wheat plants was reported from many areas. Agriculture experts have estimated the yield loss at 10-15 per cent.

Devinder Singh, a farmer from Saleri Khurd village, who brought the first lot of 300 quintals of wheat to the Patiala grain market, said the yield was about 20 quintals per acre, around 2-3 quintals less than the normal average.

Replying to a query, he said the moisture content in the grain was about 14 per cent. “I am using fans to clean the grain and reduce the moisture content,” he added.