S.A.S. Nagar (Mohali), April 07, 2026 – S. Harchand Singh Barsat, Chairman of the Punjab Mandi Board, visited the Grain Market in Patiala today and formally initiated the wheat procurement process. Speaking on the occasion, he stated that under the leadership of Punjab Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann, robust arrangements have been put in place across all mandis in the state, prioritizing the comfort and convenience of farmers, commission agents (*Arhtiyas*), and laborers; he assured that no difficulties of any kind would be allowed to arise within the mandis. 
While inaugurating the procurement drive at the mandi, S. Harchand Singh Barsat noted that the government procurement of wheat officially commenced on April 1st. Currently, the arrival of wheat in the mandis is low, but a bumper influx of the crop is expected in the coming days. 
He reiterated that the Punjab Government, led by Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann, remains fully committed to procuring every single grain of the crop. Adequate arrangements regarding sanitation, electricity, drinking water, restrooms, shade, seating facilities, and other amenities have been ensured at all mandis and procurement centers.
S. Barsat further informed that, in view of the Rabi season, 1,896 mandis have been notified across the state for the procurement of wheat. Additionally, keeping in mind the anticipated volume of crop arrivals during the season, the process of designating temporary procurement centers is currently underway; to date, 456 such temporary mandis have already been notified. He also announced that the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for wheat for the year 2026-27 has been fixed at ?2,585 per quintal.
 Senior officials are conducting continuous on-site inspections at the mandis to ensure that procurement operations are carried out smoothly and efficiently. In addition, a control room has been established at the head office of the Mandi Board to facilitate farmers during the season. The control room can be contacted at telephone numbers 0172-5101649 and 0172-5101704 to ensure the immediate resolution of any issues.
The Chairman directed all officials and employees to execute the wheat procurement operations with complete dedication and efficiency, ensuring that farmers can sell their produce without any difficulties and return home as quickly as possible. He appealed to the *Arhtiyas* (commission agents), traders, the labor community, and employees of government agencies to extend their utmost cooperation in lifting the farmers' produce.
 He emphasized that farmers should not face any problems at any stage. S. Barsat informed that, as of April 6, 6,093 metric tonnes of wheat had arrived in the state's *mandis* (markets), out of which 3,544 metric tonnes had already been procured.
Present on this occasion were Ashok Sirsawal (Chairman, Market Committee Patiala), Engr. Satwinder Singh Saini (Senior Vice President, Arhtiya Association Punjab, and President, New Grain Market Patiala), Aslam Mohammad (District Mandi Officer), Johnny Garg (Secretary, Market Committee), Krishna Kumar (Inspector, Warehouse), Major Singh Gill (Inspector, Pungrain), Jagjit Singh (Inspector, Pansup), Ashok Kumar (Inspector, Markfed), Naresh Mittal Bhola (General Secretary, New Grain Market Patiala), along with Ashok Kumar Sodhi, Charandas Goyal, Davinder Kumar Bagga, Sanjeevan Mittal, Bahal Singh, Dinesh Agarwal, Umesh Agarwal, Teerth Bansal, Narinder Laut, Jagdish Chand, Kulwinder Singh, Paramjit Singh Mirzapur, and others.