Even as 30.4mm of rain added to their woes on Sunday, farmers in Patiala claim that commission agents were telling them that there was shortage of gunny bags and labour. A farmer Harmel Singh of Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) Ugrahan said, “Even as the turn of our curfew pass comes, we have to wait due to this.”So far, the district has procured 4.6 lakh tonne of crop, of which 1.78 lakh has been lifted.
An agent at the Nabha grain market Nitish Goyal claimed, “Officials tell us that gunny bags are in short supply and play favourites.”
“There is no shortage of sacks, but distribution has been rationalised as per passes. There is shortage of labour, so the lifting is slow,” said Patiala district food and civil supplies controller (DFSC) Harsharanjit Singh
In Bathinda district, rain and hailstorm were witnessed in many villages in Rampura Phul on Sunday, adding to the woes of farmers who are engaged in harvesting of wheat. BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan) leader Baljit Singh Poohla said the rain and hailstorm will damage the wheat crop which is yet to be harvested.