DW BUREAU Markfed MD Varun Roojam visited Rajpura Grain Mandi on Thursday and reviewed the ongoing wheat procurement operations. He said that the temporary shortage of gunny bags was due to the sudden arrival of wheat in the mandis for which arrangements had been made to arrange additional quantities from the adjoining districts. He said that about 45 percent of the crop had already arrived in Rajpura Mandi and considering the pace of arrival, it was estimated that the procurement in the mandi would be completed in the next ten days. Reiterating the commitment of the Punjab government towards the well being of farmers, he said that during the wheat procurement season, the state government would not allow them to face any difficulty and every grain of farmers would be lifted smoothly. He said that even the initial hiccups due to the sudden arrival of the crop would be overcome in the next one or two days. Responding to queries from the media, he said that emphasis was being laid on expediting the lifting of the crop procured in the mandis so that there was no glut in the mandis. The Markfed MD said that requisite arrangements had been made for sanitation and drinking water in the mandis, including hand washing, to prevent the COVID-19 pandemic. He appealed to the farmers to bring only dry wheat in the mandis so that they do not have to wait. On this occasion, SDM of Rajpura Khushdil Singh, DM Markfed Vipan Singla and other officers and staff were also present. (editor@dailyworld.in)