Wheat procurement starts today, food dept expects fall in arrivals
CHANDIGARH : The wheat procurement in Punjab for the rabi marketing season will start across 1,892 centres of the state agricultural produce marketing board from April 1.
The state food and civil supplies department, four state procurement agencies and the Centre’s Food Corporation of India (FCI) are all geared up for hassle-free procurement.
The state food and civil supplies department is apprehending fall in the arrivals this year due to global wheat shortfall owing Russia-ukraine conflict.
As private traders are expected to purchase wheat from the state, the arrivals in state mandis are expected to be less than 132 lakh tonnes for which the department has made arrangements. The food department and the traders are expecting arrivals to fall by 10-25% (13 to 33 lakh tonnes) this season.
The gain prices in the open market across the country have already touched Rs 2,300 a quintal against a minimum support price of Rs 2,015 per quintal. “Traders are expected purchase wheat from the state. Due to increase in prices in the open market, we expect farmers to hold the stocks which they will bring out for sale later when the prices in open market increase further,” said an official of state food and civil supplies department.
Traders are presently focusing on other wheat-growing states Officials say traders are presently focusing on other wheatgrowing states, including Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, where the grain arrives early, and will turn to Punjab later.
Due to increase in the temperature, state the food department is expecting spurt in grain arrivals in the coming week, leading to a glut-like situation.
“We have made arrangements to create additional 250 temporary mandis in case of glut,” said a senior food department official, adding that all arrangements are in place. The state has received a cash credit limit of Rs 24,773.11 crore in first instalment of total Rs 29,540 crore sought by the state for wheat procurement.
Early wheat arrivals have been reported in the mandis of Rajpura, Kannna, Mansa, Mohali and Tarn Taran. Not taking any chances, the food department has made arrangements for gunny bags required to pack the produce.
The department has also finalised tendering process for labour and transport contracts. The food department has given procurement targets to four procurement agencies Pungrain, Punsup, State Warehousing Corporation and Markfed and centre’s agency for public distribution, the FCI.
42 nakas to check arrival of recycled wheat
The state government has set up 42 police nakas (checkpoints) on the state border to check arrival of wheat from other states. The recycled wheat from other states bought at cheaper rates is mixed with freshly procured wheat and is sold at higher rates.