Godowns meant for food grain in Punjab are full to the brim and the wheat procured recently is lying in the open, vulnerable to the vagaries of weather.
The state has all-time high stocks — 290 lakh tonnes (180 lakh tonnes wheat and 110 lakh tonnes rice) — for the three seasons from 2019-2021. Apart from this, 42 lakh tonnes of paddy need to be shelled and once that’s done, 28 lakh tonnes rice will require covered godowns for storage.
Two years ago, the state stocks touched 320 lakh tonnes and this time, the state has 10 lakh tonnes more grains. Rice is stored in covered godowns and wheat can be stored in open plinths. The cause of worry for Punjab government is monthly movement of food grain from the state to consumer states has come to an all-time low of 10 lakh tonnes last month (April) against the average 18 lakh tonnes.