Punjab to conclude wheat procurement in phased manner from May 5; decision comes in the wake of decline in arrivals

In view of the drastic decline in wheat arrivals in the mandis of Punjab, the Department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs has decided to conclude the procurement of the crop in the mandis across the state. Punjab’s Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak on Tuesday said that wheat procurement shall be concluded in the state in a phased manner starting from May 5. A notification will be issued by the Punjab Mandi Board in this regard.

The Minister expressed satisfaction with the pace of purchase and the speedy disbursal of MSP dues directly into the bank accounts of farmers. He said that this had happened despite the challenges posed by the inclement weather, which had resulted in the shrivelling of the wheat grains in most parts of the state. He said that following a spurt in global wheat prices, most states had witnessed a drastic drop in public procurement of wheat, but once again Punjab had led the nation in contributing the largest quantity of wheat into the central pool. He said that the state had purchased more than 93 lakh tonnes of wheat so far.

There has been a rise in the demand for wheat in the international market due to the Russia-Ukraine war and private traders are purchasing more wheat. Speaking about the delay in relaxation of norms for shrivelled grains, he said that the Union Government’s Department of Food and Public Distribution had decided to send a second set of officials to ascertain the extent of the problem. A target of 132 lakh tonnes of wheat procurement had been fixed earlier.

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