Punjab Food Department on Tuesday announced to launch wheat procurement drive 2012 from April 20, with a target of purchasing 3.5 million tons of wheat. While gunny bags distribution will start from April 15 on first come first serve basis. This was disclosed by Special Assistant to the Chief Minister on Food Mansha Ullah Butt, Secretary Food Punjab Irfan Ali at a press conference here on Tuesday. Director Food Najam Shah was also present on this occasion.
The procurement price has been set at Rs 1,050 per 40kg along with Rs 7.5 per 100 kg wheat as delivery charges, they said and added, "Role of middle man will be discouraged at all levels and wheat will be procured from growers directly." Any grower applying for gunny bags will be entertained for maximum 200 jute bags or 400 polyethylene bags once during the first 15 days of procurement at the centre, in case of overcrowding, maximum aforesaid limits might be reduced by the department, it said.
The logic behind the arrangement was that the maximum number of growers who owned less or up to 12.5 acre land would be fully accommodated, it said, adding over 90 percent of the growers fall into this category. The price of jute bag is set at Rs 112 per bag and Rs 29 per polyethylene bag, eight jute bags or 16 PP bags per acre would be issued to growers, the number would not exceed the limit of 200 jute or 400 PP bags, they said.
"In case the entitlement is more than the maximum limit then further bags will be issued to the farmers after he brings back the first consignment," they added. The department will start purchasing wheat through 375 centres from April 20, but feared that it might delay for some days due to weather conditions. The Bank of Punjab will provide a loan of Rs 92 billion to food department for wheat purchase, they said. "We are trying to create space at our godowns; however private godowns will also be hired to store maximum wheat stocks in covered accommodation."
They said that all private buyers would be free to procure and store wheat as per their requirements, wheat exporters would be allowed to procure wheat under public private partnership agreement as per last year practice, in order to stabilise the prices in open market.
Secretary Food Punjab Irfan Ali said that to redress the complaints, toll free numbers would be installed at food secretariat, directorate and divisional level. He said he himself would listen to the complaints for an hour every day. Talking about theft cases in department, he said, "We are focusing more to catch the culprits rather than to go for recovery, this has changed the situation." Flour prices, he said might not be increased in near future due to fresh wheat procurement, however "we will sit with millers to solve the price dispute."