Chandigarh, April 12 (Inditop.com) Over 22.25 lakh tonnes of wheat has arrived in grain markets across Haryana with more than two lakh tonnes coming in on Sunday alone, officials said here Monday.
The wheat arrival in the first 11 days of the procurement season, which started April 1, is higher compared to the corresponding period last year when only 19.02 lakh tonnes of wheat had arrived.
“Wheat arrival in Haryana is steadily picking up. The arrival this year is higher than the arrival in the corresponding period last year,” said state Food and Supplies Minister Mahender Partap Singh.
Most of the wheat (99 percent) had been procured by government agencies, five from Haryana and one from the central government (Food Corporation of India). Only 222 tonnes of wheat has been purchased by private traders.
Karnal district led in wheat arrivals with over 3.52 lakh tonnes, followed by Kaithal with 3.28 lakh tonnes and Palwal with 2.49 lakh tonnes.
In neighbouring Punjab too, wheat arrivals were picking up. Over 9.47 lakh tonnes have been procured by government agencies so far, officials said.
In Nabha town, 110 km from here, farmers blocked the Malerkotla highway for nearly three hours Sunday as government agencies failed to lift wheat arriving in the grain market.
“The administration has been busy with preparations for the arrival of President Pratibha Patil at Nabha and the lifting of wheat stocks got affected. We are streamlining things now,” a revenue official said.
The president visited the Punjab Public School, a leading educational institution, Monday to mark its 50th anniversary celebrations.
