Wheat arrivals see marginal rise despite rain, hail damage in Punjab

Despite intermittent rain and hailstorms this season that caused extensive damage to the wheat crop, arrivals in grain markets have recorded a marginal increase compared to last year.

Punjab Food and Civil Supplies Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak, on Monday, reviewed procurement operations at a grain market in Barnala and said around 38 lakh metric tonnes (MT) of wheat had arrived across the state.

Of this, nearly 34 lakh MT has already been procured and payments worth Rs 1,818 crore have been credited to farmers’ accounts, he claimed.

Notably, during the corresponding period last year, over 37 lakh MT of wheat had arrived in the state’s grain markets, of which about 33.50 lakh MT had been procured, said Kataruchak in Jalandhar on April 21 last year.

Meanwhile, interacting with media in Barnala, Kataruchak said as per the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, farmers were being paid within 48 hours of procurement. He claimed that there was no delay in the lifting of produce from mandis.

During his visit, the minister also interacted with farmers and labourers, reviewed transportation arrangements and even climbed onto a truck loaded with wheat to assess the situation firsthand.