Rain Damages Wheat Stocks in Muktsar Mandis; Farmers and Agents Count Losses
Heavy rain on Thursday night caused significant damage to wheat stocks lying in the open across grain markets in Muktsar district, leaving farmers, commission agents, and labourers reeling from substantial losses.
The affected parties reported that rain-soaked wheat would suffer in quality and could take up to 10 days to dry completely, potentially impacting market prices and procurement.
The crisis has been worsened by the sluggish pace of lifting from the mandis, a problem that has persisted for several days. Farmers and labourers have repeatedly raised concerns over the delay in transporting the harvested wheat. Despite official assurances from Sukhwinder Singh, District Food and Civil Supplies Controller, that lifting operations were gaining momentum, the ground reality tells a different story.
A large volume of wheat-filled gunny bags and heaps of uncovered grain remain exposed in Muktsar’s grain markets, with new arrivals adding to the already mounting stock due to inadequate transportation arrangements.
Commission agents expressed deep concern over the financial toll. “The quality of wheat will deteriorate due to exposure to rain. On top of that, we now face higher labour costs. Who is going to compensate us?” said one frustrated agent.
Labourers echoed the sentiment, stating they had repeatedly warned authorities of the potential risk posed by unseasonal weather, but their concerns went unaddressed.
Meanwhile, the weather in the region remained cloudy, adding to fears of further rainfall and damage.
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