Private players may shun wheat procurement
Private players might avoid mandis in Punjab for purchasing wheat because of the anticipated discolouration and lustre loss in the grain caused by heavy rains and high velocity winds that lashed the state late last month.
Information suggests that in the beginning of March, many MNCs had evinced interest in purchasing wheat from mandis in the state. This is because of the shortage of wheat in the country and the crop loss and low procurement last year. However, after rains lashed the state in March-end and initial reports about damage to wheat started pouring in, none of the MNCs came back to mandis to purchase the crop despite the fact that the procurement season officially started from April 1.
Mohinder Krishan Chand Arora, a leading commission agent in Rajpura, said in the beginning of March, he had received inquiries from Reliance Retail, ITC and Adani group, among others, about the quality of wheat in the state.
“But three spells of rain seem to have dissuaded the companies from procuring wheat. No one has come forward to buy wheat from here apparently because of the lustre loss and discolouration of grain” he said.
Rajpura is the only mandi in the state where wheat has started arriving. Till date, 314 metric tonnes (MT) of wheat has arrived at the mandi in the district . In Rajpura, 191 MT of wheat arrived today, 45 MT yesterday and 78 MT on April 3.
Raj Sood, another commission agent at the Khanna grain market, said, “Reports suggest that the grain has a lustre loss and discolouration. Only government agencies will go ahead with the wheat procurement. Private players will go elsewhere to buy wheat that match their specifications.”
Each year, Sood buys wheat on behalf of the MNCs from mandis in Punjab. Naresh Ghai, president, Punjab Flour Mills Association, said, “Initial reports of quality of grain being affected by rains will force flour mill owners to purchase wheat from other states. We will wait and watch for a fortnight till wheat arrival is high in mandis.”
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