Rain hits wheat stocks in mandis, commission agents blame delayed lifting

Ferozepur, May 5, 2026: Tonnes of wheat bags lying in the open in grain markets across this border district were damaged following recent rainfall, leaving commission agents bearing the brunt and blaming the administration for delayed lifting of the produce.
Suresh Garg, a commission agent belonging to cantonment area, alleged that no proper arrangements had been made in the grain markets by the government. He said that yesterday night he remained present in the grain market till 1 am, trying to protect his wheat stocks from rain, and was again engaged in drying the soaked bags in the morning. He added that the process was not only labour-intensive but was also increasing their financial burden.  “Not even a single wheat bag of my firm has been lifted. Now I will have to spend additional money on labour who will pay for that”, said Garg.
Another commission agent, Kulbir Singh, said that his wheat had been lying in the grain market since April 25 but lifting had still not taken place. He alleged that despite making personal arrangements, including arranging tarpaulins and even racks, a significant quantity of his produce got damaged due to rain. He further claimed that the commission agents were being forced to spend additional money on labour to dry the produce and even pay extra to transporters to get their stock lifted.
He alleged that commission agents were the worst sufferers due to administrative lapses and adverse weather conditions.
When contacted, Deputy Commissioner Deepshikha Sharma said that till Monday evening, a total arrival of 7,94,348 metric tonnes of wheat had been recorded in the district mandis, out of which 7,71,418 metric tonnes had been procured. She said that officials have been directed to further expedite the lifting process.
She added that out of the total procurement, 2,40,844 metric tonnes had been purchased by PUNGRAIN, 2,06,344 metric tonnes by MARKFED, 1,97,404 metric tonnes by PUNSUP and 1,26,826 metric tonnes by the Punjab State Warehousing Corporation. The Deputy Commissioner further informed that payments amounting to Rs 1,965.60 crore had been credited to farmers’ accounts; while lifting of 4,48,549 metric tonnes of wheat had been completed so far. She said that in view of the changing weather conditions, strict instructions have been issued to speed up lifting to prevent further damage to the produce.