Punjab is grappling with a wheat procurement crisis as a sudden influx of freshly harvested wheat has overwhelmed local mandis. Over the past five days, more than 71.5 lakh tonnes of wheat have arrived, but state agencies have only managed to lift 15 lakh tonnes—approximately 21% of the total. The situation escalated after the Central government relaxed procurement norms for rain- and hail-damaged grains on April 17, leading to a daily arrival of over 10 lakh tonnes. Farmers are struggling as their produce spills onto roads, waiting for processing and weighing. From Ferozepur to Fatehgarh Sahib, farmers have expressed concerns over the slow lifting process. To alleviate the backlog, 50 goods trains have transported around 1.5 lakh tonnes outside the state, while the remaining wheat is being moved to storage facilities. Punjab's Food and Civil Supplies Minister, Lal Chand Kataruchak, has assured that the situation will be resolved soon as he monitors the procurement operations. The south Malwa districts have seen significant arrivals, accounting for 32% of the total wheat brought to mandis, with Ferozepur district reporting the highest arrivals at 4.84 lakh tonnes.