Ludhiana, April 11 -- Wheat procurement in Ludhiana has got off to a slow start due to recent rainfall, with government purchase operations confined to just two of the district's 108 mandis. While the administration had scheduled a full-scale rollout from April 10, only eight mandis-around 10% of the total-have so far reported arrivals, reflecting the delayed pace on the ground.

Officials said the Jagraon and Khanna belts were the first to receive fresh arrivals, in line with the usual harvesting pattern, as the Khanna side typically records the earliest inflow of wheat in the district.

The recent spell of rain disrupted harvesting in several pockets and delayed the transportation of produce to grain markets, slowing the arrival cycle a...