With new guidelines in place for market committees and arhtiyas, procurement agencies are all set to lift wheat from mandis from Wednesday. The Agricultural Marketing Board has notified 3,691 points for procurement.
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Approximately, 135 lakh metric tonnes of the grain, amounting Rs 26,000 crore, is expected to reach the mandis and procured by agencies, including the FCI, Markfed, PUNSUP, Pungrain and Punjab State Warehousing Corporation.
Kahan Singh Pannu, Secretary, Department of Agriculture, who visited the purchase centres in Rajpura today said, “The process to purchase the grain will begin on Wednesday. We have completed all preparations and issued directions to officials.”
Of all, PUNSUP has set a target of procuring 29 lakh metric tonnes of wheat from its 297 exclusive mandis, 199 shared mandis, rice mills and sub-yards.
Managing director, PUNSUP, Ramvir Singh said the corporation was providing masks, gloves and sanitisers to its staff for the lifting process. Meanwhile, the Agricultural Marketing Board, in its guidelines, has stated that district-level procurement committees, led by DCs, will oversee the entire process — from issuing passes to arhtiyas to movement of labour.
The DCs will ensure the sold produce is lifted within 48 hours. Arhtiyas and farmers will be provided passes by the market committees, while police officials will be deputed at market yards and purchase centres to ensure social distancing.
The board said village-level checkpoints would be set up to ensure farmers reached specified mandis as per valid coupons only. The arhtiyas have also been directed to avoid movement of labour in various mandis. “To contain the spread of Covid, the local police will be on guard,” the board said. The arhtiyas have been directed to provide masks and sanitisers to workers engaged by them.
The guidelines include that special posters detailing Covid health advisories have to be pasted at mandi yards, storage points, shops of arhtiyas, committees and agencies.
This news has not been edited by Apni Kheti staff but has been published by various news feeds
Source: The Tribune