Wheat procurement picks up in Patiala but lifting remains slow

Wheat arrival and procurement in Patiala district have gathered momentum over the past couple of days, with daily procurement consistently exceeding 70,000 metric tonnes (MT), bringing much-needed relief to farmers after a sluggish start to the season.

According to District Food and Civil Supplies Controller (DFSC) Ravinder Kaur, the district recorded a single-day arrival of 1,11,357 MT on Saturday, taking the cumulative arrival to 3,56,205 MT so far this procurement season.

On the procurement front, government agencies purchased 1,03,285 MT on the day, pushing the total procurement to 3,06,264 MT as on date. 

Despite the steady procurement, the lifting of foodgrain from the grain markets remains a major concern. Only 24,112 MT has been lifted in the past 72 hours, accounting for just 40 per cent of the procured stock. As a result, grain markets across the district continue to remain congested, with markets operating at near-full capacity.

Ravinder Kaur said that while procurement operations have now stabilised, logistical bottlenecks were slowing the pace of lifting and transportation of foodgrains from the markets. She, however, expressed optimism that the situation would improve within the next couple of days.

Meanwhile, payments to farmers have remained smooth and timely. The authorities have disbursed Rs 380.178 crore, achieving 100 per cent payment against the procured wheat, she added.

She said that procurement activity has significantly picked up in the last two to three days, marking a turnaround from the initial phase of the season when farmers had to wait for several days for their produce to be purchased by the agencies.