Sehore: A real picture of wheat procurement on minimum support price came to light in the district where huge quantity of the crop got wet. The foul smell from rotten grain is becoming a headache for everyone.
Sources in the Mandi told Free Press that rotten wheat kept in sacks was being transported.
There is no room to store the crop, but wheat from Rajgarh is kept in Sehore. The wet yield is being sent to Raisen. Sources said from April 15 to May 31, wheat was purchased at 178 procurement centres.
Nearly 82,000 farmers sold 7.35 lakh metric tons of wheat. But the district administration’s target was to buy 4.75 lakh metric tons. As there is no room to keep two lakh metric tons of wheat, cap godowns have been set up to store it, but 90,000 metric tons of wheat could not be transported. The administration gave permission to keep the 23,000 metric tons of wheat brought from Rajgarh at Takipur cap godown. Nevertheless, wheat purchased in Sehore was lying in open. Rain damaged nearly 40,000 metric tons of wheat. Wheat lying at 25 purchase centres is being transported to other places like Raisen. Now, the wheat can be used only as fodder for hens.
The wheat has been kept under cover so that it can be dried under the sun. But it rained again and the crop got wet. Now, the administration has begun to arrange for canopies to cover the damp wheat. Ten racks were demanded, but after the wheat was wet, the fourth one reached the Mandis. Nevertheless, the number of racks required was 25. Some of the officials of the civil supplies told Free Press that wheat was being transported, and nothing could be said about it now. Only food and civil supplies officer can provide information about the goings-on, they said.
