Sameer Singh
Bathinda, October 8
Tardy paddy procurement across mandis in the district has left farmers in a quandary. With clouds hovering in the sky and heaps of grains lying at village-level procurement centres, farmers are quite disturbed. Even bardanas (gunny bags) have not even been supplied to many mandis till now.
The paddy procurement had officially began in mandis all across the state on October 1.
Sources said paddy purchase was taking place only at the main procurement centres, not village-level centres.
Weather is another cause for concern. The Meteorology Department has forecast cloudy weather with chances of rain in some areas of the Malwa region.
The produce has started coming at village-level centres in Balluana, Daan Singhwala, Jandanwala, Ganga, Kothe Natha Singhwala, Ablu, Khemuana, Virk Kalan, Buladhewala, Behman Diwana, Sivian and many other villages. However, no procurement has started here yet.
Karnail Singh, a farmer from Daan Singhwala village, said, “What to talk about procurement, even gunny bags have not been supplied to the mandi. Agencies such as Punsup, Markfed and FCI have started procurement in main mandis of the district.”
On the other hand, Mandi Board and DFSC officials claimed to have made elaborate arrangements for paddy procurement in the district.
Rajnish Goyal, District Mandi Officer, Bathinda, said, “At 10 procurement centres of the district, 1,401 MT of paddy has arrived in mandis. Of this, 719 MT has been procured by different agencies so far.”
No buyers so far
I have brought my produce to the mandi, but no one has come to buy it till now. Surjit Singh, a farmer
