Wheat procurement across Sangrur, the grain basket of Punjab, came to a complete standstill ironically on the harvest festival of Baisakhi on Monday as the joint coordination committee of state procurement agencies officially suspended operations.
The strike has led to a standoff in chief minister Bhagwant Mann’s home constituency, leaving scores of farmers stranded with their produce just as central teams arrived to inspect crop damage due to the unseasonal rain and storms earlier this month.
The boycott by field staff from Pungrain, Markfed, Punsup, and the State Warehousing Corp was triggered by the removal of a Pungrain official in Patiala, Major Singh, on Sunday. Major Singh was relieved from duty after he refused to clear grain that failed to meet fair average quality standards. Fearing similar disciplinary action or future financial recovery from the Centre, procurement inspectors are now demanding legal immunity before resuming purchases of rain-hit wheat.
Dispute over quality
The deadlock coincides with the arrival of nine teams from the Union ministry of food and public distribution, visiting at the behest of the chief minister. The teams are currently drawing samples to evaluate moisture content, shrivelled grains, and lustre loss following a season of unseasonal heat and hailstorms.
Sangrur district food and supplies controller Gurpreet Singh clarified that while fine-quality crops are being processed, the lifting of the remainder hinges on the central report. “Preliminary observations suggest shrivelled grain levels are at approximately 15%. A final decision will only be made once the central teams submit their findings,” he said.
Farmers in double bind
For growers in this high-yield belt, the timing couldn’t have been worse. While the CM has championed their cause by calling for central relaxations, the strike by his own state’s procurement staff has neutralised the harvest momentum.
Gurmel Singh of Balian village, who has been camping at the grain market for five days, said, “We are stuck between the Centre’s specifications and the state staff strike. On Baisakhi, we should be celebrating, not guarding heaps of grain.” He dismissed claims that the grain is too soft or damaged. “Minor variations occur every season; this wheat is fit for procurement,” he said.
Another farmer, Satnam Singh of Rampura, who accused officials of using “technicalities to stall the process,” alleged that moisture meters are being manipulated to show high readings while private tests show them within limits. Darshan Singh of Bhaini village, who farms 14 acres, added that his wait has entered its fourth day with “no progress beyond the collection of samples.”
With the minimum support price (MSP) set at ₹2,585 per quintal, farmers fear being forced into distress sales if state agencies do not step in.
Commission agents (arhtiyas) had called off their own strike last week. Jagtar Singh, the district president of the Federation of Arhtiya Association, said that the crop has moisture above the permissible limit of 12% . “The grain is shrivelled due to the inclement weather,” he said.
Jagtar Singh said he was told by officials that buying cannot start until they get a formal order. He also accused the state government of abandoning the farmers and argued that the government should tell its agencies to go ahead and buy the wheat now, even if the quality is of lower standard, and promise to cover any financial losses. However, he said, the government has yet to offer any such help or take responsibility.
As on Monday afternoon, a high-level meeting between the state food department and district controllers was underway to try and break the deadlock.
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