Showers drench unlifted wheat stocks in mandis

Unlifted wheat stocks lying in grain markets across the district were drenched by showers today, as most mandis lack adequate shed facilities. The sudden rain caused significant inconvenience to workers, who were seen trying to cover the stocks with tarpaulin sheets.

This season, 56 grain markets are operational in the district, and a total of 6.35 lakh metric tonnes of wheat has been produced. However, due to the slow pace of lifting, nearly half of the wheat stock remains in the open across the mandis.

“Unlifted wheat lying in the mandis is a headache for us until it is picked up, as we are responsible for its care. With such large quantities left exposed, the grains are at serious risk of damage,” said commission agent Harpal Singh.

Mandi workers said that the present weather conditions — with showers often accompanied by strong winds — make it especially difficult to keep the stocks properly covered with plastic sheets.

Meanwhile, the district administration officials acknowledged the issue, adding that while trucks are being loaded from the mandis, delays occur during unloading at warehouses. A visit to the Chheharta and Khasa areas revealed that thousands of trucks are waiting to enter warehouses. The warehouse at Chheharta stores grain, while the railway station at Khasa handles loading of wheat bags onto trains bound for other parts of the country.

“In comparison to the paddy harvest season, which stretches over a month and a half, the entire wheat crop is typically harvested within a week. With every process — from cleaning the grain to weighing, bagging, loading onto trucks and unloading at warehouses — is done manually, which slows down the process,” explained an official.

Amritsar