Chandigarh, April 5 -- The freshly harvested wheat has started arriving in the state mandis and procurement centres, which were opened on April 1 for rabi crop procurement. According to state food and civil supplies department officials, the early arrivals were reported in Rajpura, Khanna and Amritsar.

With the sudden rise in temperatures, which has crossed 36-37 degrees Celsius, wheat arrivals are expected to pick up pace, with experts saying that the rise in temperatures has triggered the fast maturing of the crop.

"We have received about 3-4 tonnes of crop, and there were arrivals reported in the mandis of Ludhiana district. It is expected to touch a few lakh tonnes by the end of the upcoming week," said an official in the state food...