Punjab farmers in trouble after procurement agencies refuse wheat purchase

The refusal came from the agencies after the wheat being procured did not meet the central government’s specifications and hence the Food Corporation of India (FCI) has rejected many samples. Wheat coming to the Mandis has a shriveled grain percentage ranging from 12% to 21% while FCI norms state that it can be up to 6%.

Chandigarh: Farmers of Punjab are facing two-sided trouble because the temperature in March increased a lot unexpectedly and, hence, grains have shrunken and the yield has also gone down, and on the other side, procurement agencies are refusing to purchase wheat.

The refusal came from the agencies after the wheat being procured did not meet the central government’s specifications and hence the Food Corporation of India (FCI) has rejected many samples. Wheat coming to the Mandis has a shriveled grain percentage ranging from 12% to 21% while FCI norms state that it can be up to 6%.

Over the issue, the state agencies also went on strike on Tuesday afternoon and demanded fresh and flexible guidelines from the Centre, and till then no procurement will take place. The Centre also dispatched five teams to 15 districts of Punjab for reviewing the situation on Wednesday.

Amid all this, the farmers are struggling with their yield in the Mandis for a couple of days.