At 132 lakh tonnes, wheat arrivals hit all-time high in Punjab
Wheat arrivals in Punjab’s current rabi season surpass 132 lakh tonnes, a record high. Sangrur leads with 9.94 lakh tonnes. State agencies procure 124.6 lakh tonnes for the central pool. Private traders buy 7.4 lakh tonnes. The wheat area remains stagnant. The crop sown over 35.08 lakh hectares. Improved varieties crucial, says PAU VC. Future might see a shift to spring maize. Punjab contributes 47.5% of wheat to the central pool. Total production estimated at 172-175 lakh tonnes.
Wheat arrivals in the current rabi season in Punjab have crossed 132 lakh tonnes, an all-time high mark.
According to the state food and supplies department, 6,000 tonne wheat arrived in state’s grain markers on Sunday, taking the total count to 132.25 lakh tonnes. The procurement is open until May 31 for which the state has opened 1,907 collection centres.
Wheat procurement normally runs from April to May, but the Centre this year allowed states to make purchases based on crop arrivals.
Agriculture officials attribute the record arrivals this season to high crop yield due to conducive climate conditions and better varieties used by the farmers. Sangrur tops the chart among districts with 9.94 lakh tonnes arrivals, followed by Patiala 9.7 lakh tonnes, Muktsar 9.17 lakh tonnes, Bathinda 9.1 lakh tonnes and Ferozepur 8.64 lakh tonnes.
Of the total arrivals, private traders have bought 7.4 lakh tonnes while the remaining 124.6 lakh tonnes have been procured by the state agencies such as Pungrian, Punsup, Mandi Board and state ware housing corporation, for the central pool.
Last year, the state agencies had procured 125.87 lakh tonnes of wheat. The area under wheat has been stagnant for the past many years. This season, the crop was sown over 35.08 lakh hectares (86 lakh acres) in comparison to 34.90 lakh hectares last year.
According to Punjab Agricultural University vice-chancellor Dr SS Gosal, the future lies in improved varieties as it’s difficult to increase the area under the crop. Also, farmers are opting for spring maize as an alternative to wheat, for its high remunerative value.
“The current rabi season has been quite productive as the yield has gone up,” said director food and civil supplies Puneet Goyal. So far, Punjab has supplied nearly 47.5% of the total wheat in the central pool, he added. This season, almost all districts have reported around 54 quintals per hectare increase in the yield, a jump of 7 to 8 quintals per hectare in comparison to last year.
Top officials in the state agriculture department have pegged the total wheat production in the state at 172-175 lakh tonnes.
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