Amid concerns over loss in grain quality of wheat due to extreme weather conditions, four central teams of scientists arrived in Punjab Wednesday to take samples of the freshly harvested produce and asses the damage. Meanwhile, the procurement operations resumed across state after the joint coordination committee of the procurement staff withdrew their strike call, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak Wednesday said.
Kataruchak said the central teams from Indian Grain Storage Management and Research Institute (IGMRI) are expected to submit their reports Thursday. The state procurement agencies have been directed to extend all possible cooperation to these teams, he added.
The IGMRI teams have arrived from Hapur, Hyderabad and Delhi. The teams from Delhi and Hyderabad have already surveyed the grain market in Khanna, which is biggest in Asia. They also collected samples from Fatehgarh Sahib and Mohali areas and spoke to the farmers.
“The teams have already collected samples. They would submit their report Thursday. The team from Hyderabad reached in the evening. They would be going to the field on Thursday,” a government functionary said.
The central procurement agency is not picking up the produce that has shrivelled grains more than the permissible limit of 6 per cent. The farmers in Punjab are demanding that the limit be raised to 12 per cent.
“We hope that the Centre would take a lenient view of the problem. The farmers are already suffering reduction in yield. It is none of their fault that the grains are shrivelled due to unsuitable weather conditions,” said another government functionary.
The Centre on Tuesday had announced setting up of five teams to assess the extent of shrivelled grains because of the early onset of heat wave. The information collected will help the government in taking a decision on grant of appropriate relaxation in the procurement process.
Meanwhile, Punjab Cabinet welcomed the decision of the Centre to accept state’s request to revisit the norm for shrivelled grains for the ongoing procurement season. The Cabinet also asked Centre to allow relaxation in the norms of shrivelled grains without any value cut, as the farmers have already been penalised on account of lower yield.
Secretary, Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Gurkirat Kirpal Singh informed the Cabinet that total of 14.9 lakh metric tonnes of wheat have arrived in mandis, out of which more than 12 lakh MT has already been purchased. More than 2 lakh MT of wheat, out of 5 lakh MT that arrived Tuesday, was purchased on the day of arrival itself.
Meanwhile, even as Kataruchak claimed that the procurement operations continued unhindered on Wednesday, the farmers presented a different story.
State procurement agencies had gone on a strike Tuesday afternoon, after the quantity of shriveled grains arriving in the markets shot beyond the permissible limit of 6 per cent. Vinay Kumar, president of the coordination committee had said that the wheat being procured did not meet the Centre’s specifications and hence the Food Corporation of India (FCI) was rejecting it.
Despite the strike call, farmers continued to bringing their produce to the mandis due as they have no place to store the grains after harvesting it.
In Jhumba village of Bathinda, farmers camped overnight guarding their produce.
Narinder Singh Jhumba, a 50-year-old farmer said, “I grow wheat on 20 acres. I started bringing it to the mandi from April 6, but my produce is yet to be sold. I have no choice but to stay here and guard it.”
Narinder said that 15 per cent of his produce accounts for shrivelled grains.
Kulwant Singh Dhaliwal, an 80-year-old-farmer from the same village has also been camping at the same mandi since April 12. He grows wheat on nearly 25 acres, of which nearly 15 acre is on contract. Dhaliwal said, “The shrivelled grains do not lack in nutrition”.
Balbir Singh Teona, a 42-year-old farmer from Teona village, camping at the same Mandi said, “I harvested crop on 8 acres and brought it to the mandi on Sunday. I have been waiting since then for my produce to be procured. I can’t leave my produce unattended. I hope we get some good news on Baisakhi day and the mandis start clearing.”
Sukhdev Singh Kokrikalan, general secretary of BKU-Ugrahan, however, did not sound very hopeful. “In March, the temperature increased so much that grains shrunk. Hence, this problem of grains shrivelling was waiting to happen. It seems that FCI is finding reasons to not procure the grains at MSP so that farmers are forced to sell to corporate houses”.
Joginder Singh Ugrahan, president of BKU (Ugrahan), added, “Procurement of wheat should restart in mandis or else there will be a glut. FCI should relax its norm”.
