‘Lifting is prime focus’, says minister as wheat stocks linger in Punjab
Despite strong wheat arrivals of over 80.79 LMT, Punjab has lifted just 29% of procured stocks (21.90 LMT). Food minister Lal Chand Kataruchak urged officials to accelerate lifting, as daily arrivals top 10 LMT. Arhtiyas flagged risks of weight loss in jute bags and labour shortages. Government agencies have procured 68.25 LMT; traders bought 6.38 LMT.
Chandigarh: Despite 74.63 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of wheat procured in Punjab, the lifting of stocks continues to lag at just 29%, with only 21.90 LMT moved so far. Until Thursday, 80.79 LMT of wheat arrived in the mandis, and the daily arrival has already crossed the 10 LMT mark.
While chairing a meeting to review wheat procurement, food and civil supplies minister Lal Chand Kataruchak on Thursday asked officials to speed up the removal of stocks from grain markets. “Lifting in the mandis is the prime focus of the Punjab govt,” he said.
The minister was informed that the food and civil supplies department was holding weekly meetings with the deputy commissioners to ensure that there is “no let-up in the lifting process.” On the issue of e-KYC, it was pointed out that 1.25 lakh beneficiaries had been brought on board, which comes around to 81 percent.
Ravinder Singh Cheema, president, Punjab Arhtiyas Association, said lifting had been tardy in the grain markets and there was a need for the state govt to expedite the process. “Almost the entire wheat crop of around 70 LMT in the Malwa region has arrived in the markets. In the coming days, the moisture content in the jute bags will reduce, and it would result in a loss of weight. It will lead to financial losses to the arhtiyas. Both farmers and arhtiyas faced similar problems during the paddy season. The Centre and the state govt should take a policy decision on this,” he said.
Jaswinder Singh Rana, Patiala district president of the Arhtiyas Association, also demanded that the authorities needed to accelerate the lifting process by addressing hiccups related to transportation and labour. “The labour from other states has been reluctant to come to Punjab due to relatively lesser rates being offered by the Punjab govt to the mandi labour. All these factors are affecting the lifting process,” he said.
The Centre set a target of purchasing 124 lakh metric tonnes of wheat, and a cash credit limit of Rs 28,894 crore had been sanctioned. Around 8 lakh farmers will bring their produce to the mandis of Punjab during the season, and 1,864 procurement centres have been set up. Apart from this, 600 temporary mandis have also been set up, which will be used as per the requirement.
TRADERS PROCURE 6 LMT
Of the total 74.63 LMT wheat procured so far, the govt agencies have procured 68.25 LMT while 6.38 LMT has been procured by traders. The day’s lifting stood at 4.42 LMT on Thursday.
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Source : The Times Of India
