TOBA TEK SINGH: The local grain market that was among the top few grain markets in Punjab for three decades cannot be called so anymore, as currently grains are stocked in one-fourth of the shops only, while the remaining are used for other businesses.

During a survey conducted by the media on Wednesday, it was revealed that this market was started in 1915 with almost a dozen shops of commission agents, but later spread to more than 200 shops on 40 kanal in the middle of the city. But during the last 30 years, grain commission shops turned into fertiliser, pesticide, seed, grocery and jewellery shops, truck goods transport booking offices or godowns.

Grain market commission agents association president, Chaudhry Musa Jutt, told reporters that farmers brought their produce to only 50 shops now, and traders mostly purchased directly from growers by paying cash or advance.

He said presently those farmers brought their grain to the market who purchased fertilisers, pesticides or seeds from the commission agents.

A commission agent, Kaleemuddin, said cultivators directly supplied cotton to ginning factories, while jaggery-making had reduced as sugar mills bought sugarcane directly from growers.

Similarly, wheat is purchased by the food department or flour mills, so now the market sold a lot less of the crops compared to 30 years ago when every commission agent had at least two rooms on the upper portion of shops to provide residence to traders of other provinces or Afghanistan, who visited the market for purchases.

But now most of the upper portions of shops had been rented by the agents to offices or individuals.

Published in Dawn, December 24th, 2016