As wheat procurement season & gunny bag shortfall go hand in hand, farmers, agents question execution gaps

Despite the significant financial allocation, the apparent lack in arranging the basic packaging infrastructure exposes serious gaps in planning and execution.

Sources in the Punjab Food and Civil Supplies Department indicate that a DBA tender was floated to address the shortfall. However, the delay in ensuring timely availability of the gunny bags raises concerns about whether corrective measures have come too late.

The scale of production also amplifies the concern.

Punjab typically contributes 12 to 13 million tonnes of wheat annually to the Central pool. This year, experts anticipate a bumper harvest, with procurement likely to exceed 13 million tonnes subject to favourable weather and logistics. Such increased volumes will place even greater pressure on the system, making the timely availability of gunny bags critical.

Any disruption at this stage could lead to procurement delays, mandi congestion, and financial distress for farmers.

A senior officer, Punjab Food and Civil Supplies Department, said this mismatch between requirement and supply is not merely a statistical concern — it has direct on-ground implications. Without adequate gunny bags, procurement agencies may be forced to slow down lifting operations, leading to congestion in mandis. For farmers, this could mean longer waiting periods, exposure of harvested produce to weather risks, and potential distress.

The crop has been sown across more than 35 lakh hectares this season, with wheat arrivals beginning in early-April and intensifying by mid-April — this leaves no room for administrative or logistical lapses.

Prem Goel, Aggarwal & Company and President, Arhtiyas Association Suman, said, “In a system where timing is everything, the question remains — will the administration be able to bridge the gap in time, or will the shortage turn into a full-blown procurement crisis?”

Another procurement agent said, “Despite the scale and predictability of the procurement cycle, preparations appear to be lagging. It is learnt that the state has floated tenders for the procurement of gunny bags… execution timelines are tight. Any delay in finalising and supplying these bags could directly impact procurement speed and storage management.”

Sources said certain external factors are also aggravating the supply crunch.

Reduced availability of raw jute has affected the domestic production of jute bags — all of it partly linked to import disruptions.

While authorities maintain that contingency measures are under consideration, stakeholders on the ground remain unconvinced.

Commission agents and farmer representatives said such bottlenecks are avoidable, given that wheat procurement in Punjab is an annual and highly structured exercise.

“The crop cycle is known, the procurement window is fixed and the requirements are predictable. Yet, every year, some critical gap surfaces at the last minute,” said a mandi trader.

“If the shortfall is not addressed on priority, Punjab could find itself grappling with avoidable chaos in mandis at the peak of the harvest season — undermining both farmer confidence and the efficiency of the procurement system,” said a senior officer in Pungrain, state procurement agency.

Punjab Food and Civil Supply minister Lal Chand Kataruchak could not be contacted.