Heavy rain last night caused major damage to wheat lying in the open at several mandis (grain markets) in Muktsar district. Farmers, commission agents, and labourers reported big losses as the grain got soaked.
They said the wet wheat will lose quality and may take up to 10 days to dry. The problem has become worse because the lifting of wheat from mandis has been very slow. For many days, people have been complaining about delayed transportation.
Even though Sukhwinder Singh, the District Food and Civil Supplies Controller, claimed that the lifting process was improving daily, the ground reality is different. A lot of wheat is still lying outside in the open, with more stock piling up due to poor lifting arrangements.
Commission agents also raised financial concerns. One of them said, “The wheat’s quality has dropped, and we will have to pay extra for labour now. Who will pay for our loss?”
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