Punjab procures 93 lakh tons wheat, 25% decline against 2021
Darpan News Desk IANS, 03 May, 2022 10:28 AM
Chandigarh, May 3 (IANS) Punjab has procured over 93 lakh tons of wheat in the ongoing rabi marketing season, a decline of 25 per cent compared with 125 lakh tons in 2021, officials said on Tuesday.
With a drastic decline in wheat arrivals, the Department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs has announced timeline to end the wheat procurement.
Food and Civil Supplies Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak said the closure of mandis in the state will be done in a phased manner from May 5. The notification in this regard would be issued by the Mandi Board.
The minister said the inclement weather had resulted in shrivelling of grains in most parts of the state.
Following a spurt in global wheat prices, most states have witnessed a drastic drop in government purchase of wheat, but Punjab led the nation in contributing the largest quantity of wheat of more than 93 lakh tons into the central pool, he said.
Regarding the delay in relaxation of norms for shrivelled grains, he said the Centre has decided to send a second set of officials to take samples from the mandis to ascertain the extent of problem of shrivelling of grains.
Hit by the early onset of heatwave, the wheat crop in Punjab was damaged much beyond the six per cent limit specified by the Centre. This led to dropping of the yield by at least four quintals per hectare, say experts.
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has slammed the state AAP government for not even approaching the Centre for the compensation to farmers who had suffered a loss of Rs 10,000 per acre due to unseasonal rains in February followed by extremely high temperatures in March.
Auto-rickshaw drivers in Punjab's industrial town Ludhiana on Monday received an unusual guest in the form of Chief Minister Charanjit Channi, who halted unscheduled on his way to the grain market to listen to their problems.
The Indian Prime Minister has always put the nation's unity and integrity above all other considerations, and perhaps therefore chose not to give any handle to vested interests, particularly Pakistan sponsored and funded elements, to create divisions and instability in Indian society, and especially among Sikhs.
Addressing a public gathering here, Channi categorically said people are being unnecessarily harassed by the cable mafia by levying hefty charges which would not be tolerated anymore in future.
Hitting out at Navjot Singh Sidhu, the BJP on Monday said that Punjab Congress chief is creating unwarranted fears in the minds of farmers by suggesting that the Centre had plans to do away with the MSP system.
After literally turning a deaf ear to the farmers’ issues for over a year, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, November 19, 2021, in a dramatic move, announced the withdrawal of the three controversial farm laws, which were at the heart of the farmers’ protests across the country.
Earlier, Dhesi sent a letter, signed by over 100 British MPs and Lords, to Prime Minister Boris Johnson on the ongoing farmers' protests, asking him to raise this matter with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi when they next liaise.
