Rain damages wheat produce in Muktsar, but no action inititated against anyone 

Even though wheat bags have piled up in procurement centres across Muktsar district, unseasonal rain on Friday damaged a portion of the freshly harvested crop, exposing gaps in mandi management. No action has been taken against anyone so far.

Commission agents, labourers and farmers have expressed frustration over the lack of timely lifting and inadequate arrangements to protect the produce from weather-related damage.

“The wheat arrival began from April 13. However, not a single day has gone by since then without us requesting one officer or the another to ensure proper lifting. Now, you can see the situation. We will have to bear extra expenses, as the wheat stored in bags has become damp,” said a commission agent at the Doda grain market.

Muktsar Deputy Commissioner Abhijeet Kaplish acknowledged the delay and said lifting operations had now become smoother. “The issue was mainly due to a silo not being ready earlier, but that has been resolved. As of now, action is not recommended against anyone,” he said.

As per data obtained from the district administration, a total of 7,40,607 MT of wheat had arrived at the district’s mandis till Thursday evening. Of this, 7,26,373 MT had been purchased, 3,38,905 MT lifted, and 3,87,468 MT remained unlifted. This means that over 53 per cent of the purchased wheat was yet to be lifted.