Wheat procurement season kicks off amid Covid-19 crisis, lockdown curbs

The entire marketing of rabi crops looks problematic due to social distancing norms and dearth of labour

“How does the government think it can limit the daily wheat purchase to just 50 quintals per farmer in Punjab,’’ asks an angry Ghuman Singh, a farmer from Nabha area in Patiala. He’s puzzled like many others because when a combine harvester (a machine designed to harvest a variety of crops) runs, it cuts wheat covering around 30-40 acre in one go, yielding up to 600 quintals.
 

The 50-quintal rule must change, he insists while getting ready for the country’s annual wheat procurement under an extraordinary lockdown to control the spread of coronavirus. Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh are