LAHORE: The Punjab Food Department and the Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation (PASSCO) have so far achieved 76 per cent and 50 per cent of their wheat procurement targets 2021 respectively.
The provincial food department has bought 2.6 million metric tons of wheat against its target of 3.5 million metric tons while the PASSCO has procured 600,000 metric tons of grains against its target of 1.2 million metric tons.
Food department circles claim that they have distributed gunny bags (Bardana) sufficient to pack 98 per cent of their target while PASSCO has so far been able to distribute gunny bags for 750,000 metric tons of grain.
Speed of the procurement is going well at present but it may slow down during the coming long holidays announced by the NCOC due to Eid ul Fitr. During these days all the banks will be closed so payments to the growers would impact which may hurt the speed of procurement too, sources in the federal procurement agency told Business Recorder here on Wednesday. Nevertheless, they said that now securing the procurement target is in sight.
Food Minister Punjab Abdul Aleem Khan has said that the wheat procurement drive is in full swing across the province and so far 76 per cent target of wheat procurement has been achieved in Punjab. Aleem said that Food Department and district administration is providing all possible facilities to the farmers in the purchase of wheat through joint efforts.
He said that as per the instructions of Prime Minister Imran Khan, the price of wheat is being paid to the farmers in Punjab at the rate of Rs. 1800 per maund this year. Similarly efforts are being made to minimize the role of middleman between the farmer and the consumer, he added.
The Minister further said that operations are underway in all cities across Punjab to curb the hoarding of wheat. He said 27, 600 bags of wheat in Gujranwala Division, 12,000 from Bahawalpur and 11,500 bags of wheat have been confiscated from Mandi Baha Uddin during the raids against hoarders. He said that legal action is being taken against stockiest by seizing sacks of wheat from Sialkot, Wazirabad, Nowshera Warkan, Kamonki, Mandi Yazman and other cities of Punjab.
Aleem Khan said that farmers should feel free to sell their wheat at the procurement centers of Punjab as they will get timely compensation for their crop. He assured that the Government will not allow anyone to store wheat and in this regard the Food Department and district administration are on high alert round the clock to take strict action without any discrimination.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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