Wheat procurement drive: 'government officials deprived farmers of Rs 30 billion'

Revenue and food officials of Punjab government have robbed the farmers of Rs 30 billion in a calculated manner during the ongoing wheat procurement at 375 centres set up in the province, representatives of agriculturists various associations told Business Recorder, here on Thursday.
Convenor Punjab Water Council and prominent agronomist Farooque Bajwa said Punjab farmers produced record 20 million tons wheat this year out of which they offered 12 millions tons for sale to the provincial food department including Passco. The revenue department did not provide the required number of gunny bags to small farmers, therefore they sold about 9.6 million tons to the private sector at a rate of Rs 800 to Rs 850 per maund, (Rs 2,500 per ton) instead of government's procurement price of Rs 950 per maund, thus the growers suffered a loss of Rs 25 billion.
Farooque alleged that Punjab government gave 2.5 million gunny bags to the revenue/food officials for distribution among farmers to purchase their produce. On these 70 to 75 percent gunny bags of 100 KG, the officials charged Rs 50 to Rs 100 per gunny bag from the farmers. In this manner, the revenue/food officials got illegal money of Rs 1.7 billion, he estimated. He contended that the wheat procurement officials charged Rs 30 to 40 per bag as transport charges, besides illegally collecting one-kilogram wheat per bag from the farmers and thus pocketed unaccountable 2.5 million kilograms wheat.
Farooque further alleged that food department officials purchased 40 million substandard and under-weight gunny bags of standard 1.1 KG at the rate of Rs 105 per bag. These underweight gunny bags also caused huge economic losses to the farmers and the government.
Chairman Agri Forum Pakistan Ibrahim Moghal alleged that the revenue / food officials connived with the middlemen/arthis to fleece the farmers in an organised manner. First, the food department delayed wheat procurement by ten days during which farmers had to sell their produce at least Rs 100 to 150 per maund less than the government fixed price of Rs 950 per maund. The government officials manipulated and forced the helpless farmers to sell their wheat to the middlemen by not providing them gunny bags. The wheat procurement centres also slowed down purchase of wheat from the farmers who could not retain their commodity for a long time in their houses due to coming rainy season.
He said the Punjab government has not honoured its commitment to purchase at least four million tons of wheat this season. It has only purchased about 3.4 million tons so far to facilitate the arthis/middlemen of the grain markets.