Wheat arrival picks up in Haryana mandis

Chandigarh, Apr 5 (UNI) Wheat arrival in Haryana mandis is gradually picking up with 3,641 tonnes of wheat having arrived till yesterday, the Deputy Chief Minister Chander Mohan said here today.

Out of the total wheat arrival, 837 tonnes had been procured by six government agencies at a minimum support price of Rs 850 per quintal including the bonus, he said.

Mr Mohan said that a sum of Rs 2,195 crore had been sanctioned by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) during the current Rabi marketing season for the purchase of wheat and efforts would be made to procure 45-46 lakh MTs of wheat during the same.

While enumerating the detail of the arrival of the wheat, he said that HAFED had procured 392 MTs, Food and Supplies Department had procured 346 MTs of wheat, Confed 54 MTs, Food Corporation of India 35 MTs and Haryana Agro Industries Corporation 10 MTs. The Deputy Chief Minister said that last year a sum of Rs 1,836.75 crore were sanctioned by the RBI for the purchase of wheat.

He directed the officers posted at the purchase centres that efforts should be made to provide all facilities to the farmers coming in the mandis for sale of their wheat.

He also directed them that the payment of the wheat be made between 48-72 hours and said he himself would visit the mandis to inspect the ongoing process of procurement of wheat.

A total of 358 purchase centres had been set up in the state and farmers would have to travel no more than five kms to sell their produce. He urged the farmers to bring their produce parched and clean so that they could get a good remunerative price.

UNI