Wheat glut in Sirsa grain markets

Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Sirsa, April 28

Grain markets in the district are glutted with wheat, courtesy poor lifting and heavy arrival of the produce.

With the Met predicting rain tomorrow (Wednesday), the authorities have asked farmers not to bring their produce for two days as the grain markets were already filled to capacity.

Not to speak of the grain markets, wheat bags have occupied all space in Janata Bhawan, an area behind a government school and the way to Nehru Park, creating trouble for shopkeepers.

Gurdial Mehta, a former president of the Sirsa grain market traders’ association, said the process of lifting wheat was slow.

“It there’s rain, it will damage the crop and this will further delay the lifting and procurement processes,” he said.

The authorities have told commission agents that guarding wheat from rain would be their responsibility and they could lose their licences if they failed to cover the produce in the event of a downpour.

The agents, however, termed the authorities’ order autocratic. “Wheat is the government’s liability once its has been purchased,” one of the agents said. Jaiwanti Kasnia, secretary of the market committee, Sirsa, said the authorities were working overtime to get the bags of wheat lifted before it rained, if at all.

Deputy Commissioner Nikhil Gajraj, meanwhile, said 6.55 lakh MT of wheat had been procured in the district.