BATHINDA: Even before the amount of wheat procured in Punjab could reach close to 100 lakh metric tonnes, the crop’s arrival has gone down drastically in the state’s mandis, signalling that wheat purchase targets would not be met this year.
Punjab had targeted to procure 130 lakh metric tonnes of wheat. Reasons for the decline in procurement include big farmers holding back grains as they expect a surge in wheat prices due to surge in export demand to Russia-Ukraine war, and less yield due to grains getting shrivelled because of the ongoing heay wave.
While 132.22 LMT wheat was procured in the 2021-22 season, only 91.12 lakh metric tonnes of wheat had arrived in grain markets till Monday. Of this, 90.68 LMT has been purchased. The FCI had fixed a target of 132 LMT for Rabi marketing season 2022-23 for Punjab and 129 LMT for Madhya Pradesh.
“Going by the trend, it is sure that Punjab will not be able to complete the target and it may remain near 100 LMT or near 2015-16 season when 102.44 LMT wheat was purchased,” said an official of the Punjab State Agricultural Marketing Board.
He said it seemed big farmers wanted to hold the crop as they were hoping for a higher price later on. As wheat exports from Ukraine are expected to be far below normal due to the ongoing war, Indian wheat is expected to get more takers in the later part of the year.
“There is a strong possibility of the prices of wheat soaring in time to come. Also, wheat exports from India are likely to cross 10 million metric tonne this year. The purchase of over 4.5 LMT wheat by private traders too points to that. Going by this, we have preferred to hold the wheat from our 25 acres,” said farmer Kuljit Singh from a Bathinda village.
Similarly, farmer Harjinder Singh from Barnala village, whose family owns 30 acres of farmland, has not sold the wheat, but wants to hold it anticipating a spurt in prices.
