PUNJAB, HARYANA WHEAT MANDIS TO REMAIN OPEN TILL MAY 31
Punjab, Haryana to open mandis till month-end; extended period expected to benefit farmers
NEW DELHI: The government’s wheat procurement in Haryana has been extended till May 31 while the Punjab government has been asked to buy the grain till month-end, a senior food ministry official said on Sunday.
The closing date of procurement for Haryana was May 15, while for Punjab May 31. In the case of other states, the closing dates set earlier would continue.
“We have extended procurement operations in Haryana till May 31,” he added.
PUNJAB’S MINISTER FOR FOOD AND CIVIL SUPPLIES ORDERED THE CONTINUATION OF WHEAT PROCUREMENT OPERATIONS IN 232 MANDIS IN STATE
CHANDIGARH/ NEW DELHI: The government’s wheat procurement in Haryana and Punjab has been extended till May 31, a senior food ministry official said on Sunday.
“We have extended procurement operations in Haryana till May 31. Punjab wanted to close early due to negligible arrival of the grain, but we have requested the state government to continue buying till Mayend,” the official said.
“The Centre has asked wheatproducing states and UTS with procurement closing dates expiring early to continue procurement till May 31, 2022,” the food ministry said in a statement.
Punjab’s minister for food and civil supplies Lal Chand Kataruchak ordered the continuation of wheat procurement operations in 232 mandis in the state until May 31.
The minister said that though the notified date of closure of procurement was May 31, but seeing the negligible pace of wheat arrivals in the recent days, a request was made to the Union ministry of food and public distribution on May 12 to allow premature closure of mandis from May 17. The state government has withdrawn this request.
The minister said the restrictions on wheat export were likely to result in a dip in prices of wheat in the domestic market.
As a result, some farmers who had stored the wheat produce, in anticipation of fetching higher prices later, might have a rethink now and opt to sell the wheat. Therefore, it was important that the facility of government purchase at MSP continues to be available to them in order to avoid distress sale, he said.
Kataruchak said that the state government had operationalised 2,292 mandis during the present rabi season. But following a drastic dip in the arrivals of wheat in certain parts of the state, 2,060 of them have been closed. And at present 232 Mandis are operational in all the districts.
In other producing states, the earlier set closing dates of procurement would continue, the official added.
For instance, procurement will continue till May 31 in Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir. It will continue till June 10 in Rajasthan, till June 15 in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and till June 30 in Uttarakhand. Wheat procurement will continue till July 15 in Bihar, the statement added.
Nodal agency Food Corporation of India (FCI) has also been asked to continue with wheat procurement under the central pool, it said. The extended period is expected to benefit farmers. The decision comes in the wake of requests by state governments/uts to continue the procurement process, it added.
Meanwhile, the procurement of wheat under the central pool is progressing smoothly in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, J&K, Gujarat, Bihar and Rajasthan.
The ministry further said the government’s procurement has been less so far this year mainly due to the higher market prices than MSP, wherein farmers have been selling wheat to private traders.