Chandigarh, Punjab Mandi Board chairman Lal Singh on Thursday said all preparations have been made for the procurement of wheat which would start from April 10. He further said in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic, necessary instructions have also been given to adopt safety protocols strictly in all the grain markets of the state. Singh reviewed the procurement arrangements being made by the Mandi Board during a meeting here, according to an official release here. The Chairman of Mandi Board said that COVID-19 safety measures would be in place during the procurement operations with a view to ensure safety of farmers, employees of various procurement agencies, mandi board and market committees, labourers and Arhtiyas. He also informed that 3,972 grain markets have been notified for the current wheat procurement season. Punjab is targeting to procure 130 lakh metric tonne of wheat crop in the season. Singh said to maintain physical distancing, the ground space would be divided into 30×30 feet in all the grain yards and procurement centres where farmers would unload their yield separately. He further said that coupons with one day validity would be issued to farmers through arhtiyas as per each trolley. “We are going to adopt a special mechanism this time under which the farmers would liaise with arhtiyas to bring their yield on specific dates,” he stated. He said the farmers have been suggested to store wheat at their homes or farm stores for shorter durations in order to avoid rush at the grain markets. Sanitizers and masks will also be provided to farmers. PTI
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