Food Department has no godowns for 0.8 million metric tons of procured wheat

It's very interesting that Sindh Food Department has no official godowns for placing the 0.8 million metric tons procured wheat of this season, well placed sources told Business Recorder here on Saturday. The Food department's target of wheat procurement was 1.5 million metric ton, from which they have purchased 1.3 million metric ton wheat yet while the last date of target is May 31.
The Sindh government through the Food department was exercising this practice of procurement of wheat from the growers for the last many years but it can place only 7 lakh metric ton wheat safely in the in-door official godowns while the rest 8 lakh metric ton wheat would be placed in open areas of regional centers including Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukur, Larkana and Mirpurkhas.
Sources said that monsoon rains are ahead according to the forecast of Metrology department but the millions of rupees of wheat is placed in an open grounds which could damage the wheat. Regarding the monsoon, an official of Irrigation department told Business Recorder on the condition of keeping his name as secret that Monsoon rains are expected from June 15 but it can become before the routine dates.
Although, Food department has issued tenders for the rental godowns in various districts but it will take more time and rains could destroy the wheat, which has been placed under open sky, sources said. Sindh Food department has also purchased about 5,000 tarpaulins for securing the wheat from the expected rains while the 3,000 old tarpaulins are also available in Food department but some of officials of department are of the view that these tarpaulins could not secure the wheat and it will be destroyed in huge quantity if rains will come, sources further told.
Officials of Food department are embezzling the millions of rupees in the name of damaging of wheat by the rains every year because if rains will destroy 500 bags of wheat they will show more figure and earn black money from this sort of practice, sources added.
In this connection, Business Recorder has tried to bet version of Minister for Food Mir Nadir Khan Magsi but he was not available at his office and he could not attend his mobile number despite several attempts. While, despite available in office, Secretary for Food Naseer Jamali has refused to meet with this scribe. However, Director General Food Talib Hussain Magsi confirmed this to Business Recorder and said that we don't have capacity of placing 8 lakh metric ton wheat in the indoor godowns so that we have made arrangements to secure the wheat from rains.