Farmers Question Punjab Government's Wheat Procurement Arrangements

Bathinda: The Punjab government has started the procurement of wheat crops across the state from Tuesday (April 1) and claimed to make proper arrangements in the markets.

However, the farmers rejected the official claims, alleging that they still face various issues in the markets.

“Although the government is claiming to make proper arrangements for the procurement of wheat, the ground reality is that when a farmer brings his crop to the market, his biggest fear is that the crop will be stolen in the market because the market committee does not make any security arrangements for the safety of the crop; sometimes people steal and take their crop away,” a group of farmers told ETV Bharat at the Bathinda market.

Similarly, they alleged that clean drinking water and bathrooms were not properly arranged in the market. “We also spend nights in the dark due to lack of lighting facilities,” they said.

They demanded that a survey should be conducted on the village markets where farmers face the worst problems.

“The Market Committee has made proper arrangements for the arrival of the Rabi crops so that the farmers bringing the crops do not have to face any kind of problem,” Market Committee officer Gurvinder Singh said regarding the proper arrangements in the markets.

“A total of 15 mandis come under the Bathinda Market Committee, in which about 74 thousand metric tonnes of wheat are likely to arrive,” he said.

Singh claimed that the committee had arranged clean drinking water and lighting for the farmers. “Along with this, chowkidars have been given the safety of the crop; if the farmers still face any kind of problem, they can contact the Market Committee officials,” he said.

For the last three years, in the year 2021-22, 589,290 quintals of wheat arrived in various markets of Bathinda.

Similarly, in the year 2022-23, 735,097 quintals of wheat arrived, and in the year 2023-24, 743,938 quintals of wheat arrived.

This year, the officials of the committee said that about 75 thousand metric tonnes of wheat are expected to arrive.

“If the weather remains clear, then the arrival of wheat starts in the markets of Bathinda every year after April 15. This time too, the arrival of wheat is expected to happen around April 15,” Singh added.

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