All grain & no buyers frustrate ryots

A similar situation prevails in Bhadson in this district and about a score of sub-purchase centres opened in smaller towns in the vicinity.

Curiously, theannouncement of MPP has slackened the market sentiment in the state since the traders were hoping for a higher price, and whatever little purchase that takes place in some mandis is much below the MPP, with the official agencies failing to arbiter.

"Some traders tried to purchase wheat in Nabha market this morning but the farmers declined to sell their produce because they were offered prices below Rs 500 a quintal," admitted president of the Commission Agents’ Association Prem Chand Goyal.

In Asia’s biggest grain market, Khanna, in Ludhiana district, where the entire 5,500 quintal arrivals of wheat this month have been bought by the traders, the prevailing price is Rs 504 per quintal. Before the announcement of MPP, wheat was quoted at Rs 515-520 a quintal, said an official.

The ongoing distress sale of wheat has forced many farmers at Nabha to sell their produce at a throw-away price of Rs 450, Goyal said, adding that the average rate for the 20,000 bags purchased in the mandi would work out to be aslow as Rs 475 per quintal.

"We are desperately trying to contact local and district officials of government procurement agencies and civil authorities to urge them to enter mandis but they remain untraced either due to holidays or by choice," observed Bharatiya Kisan Union leaders Onkar Singh and Gurnam Singh.

Chand Singh, of Gunike village, who has been camping for a week in Nabha mandi, said all his normal work at farm had halted in his absence. He fears the sowing of paddy nursery will now be delayed.

Teja Singh, another farmer, says he brought his newly-harvested crop since there was no space in his house and hoped that with the announcement of the price at least the official purchase would begin. In the past year these agencies had started their operations on March 8, added Surinder Singh of Sadhaheri. Strangely, local officials of these agenices met on Saturday and circulated a jointly-signed note to the traders specifying guidelines for purchase, though there was no mention about the commencementof of procurement.

Official sources at Khanna observed that though the government agencies would enter the mandis on April 15, actual purchase may actually take a few more days as these agencies needed time to "fully gear up" for the job. Going by experience, that would appear to be another delaying tactic. "Any excuse would do for them,"