Penalty to be imposed if wheat not lifted: Punjab Mandi Board

With farmers complaining of wheat crop not being lifted from grain markets, Punjab Mandi Board today warned levying of penalty on government owned foodgrain procurement agencies and private traders if they failed to lift crop in the ongoing procurement season.
The Board, which is also known as Punjab State Agricultural Marketing Board, said it would impose penalty of 25 paise per wheat bag per day if the crop is not lifted within 72 hours of purchase from grain markets.
"We will impose penalty 25 paise per bag (50 kg) if any one including government owned agencies fails to lift crop," Board Chairman Ajmer Singh Lakhowal said.

The board supervises marketing of foodgrain at grain markets in Punjab.
Wheat growers have been complaining at various centres that the already purchased wheat have not been lifted for last several days which led to shortage of space for crop sale.
They said that they are not finding space for unloading crop in order to sell it.

As much as 47 lakh tonne of wheat has not been lifted so far at various centres across Punjab, a Mandi board official said.
There are 140 market committees and 1805 purchase centres in Punjab.
In Punjab, government owned agencies including Punsup, Pungrain, Markfed, FCI, PSWC and Punjab Agro purchase wheat from farmers for central pool. Private traders also buy crop from farmers.

Apprehensive of crop getting damaged due to rains, farmers want crop to be lifted at the earliest from purchase centres.
This season, wheat arrivals were delayed in grain markets because of untimely rains and prolonged cold conditions.
As much as 110.25 lakh tonne of wheat has arrived in Punjab so far while daily arrivals stand at about 3 lakh tonne. Private traders bought 2.35 lakh tonne of wheat in the state.
"We hope wheat procurement will remain at 110-112 lakh tonne this season," an official of FCI said.
Punjab has set a target to achieve wheat procurement of 115 lakh tonne this year.