Punjab govt to revise wheat procurement target following corona pandemic: energy minister

MULTAN: The Punjab government has decided to revise the wheat procurement target aimed at global wheat security following corona.

Punjab Minister for Energy Dr Akhtar Malik stated this while chairing a wheat procurement meeting at Circuit House here on Monday. Punjab Parliamentary Secretary for Information and Culture Nadeem Qureshi, Deputy Commissioner Amir Khattak and incharges of all wheat procurement centres were present in the meeting. The whole strategy regarding increased procurement target had been finalised, the minister said. The flour millers and poultry feeders would not allow surplus wheat, he added. The Sindh government would have to procure wheat this year, he said. He told that the Punjab would purely depend upon its own production and stern action would be taken on promoting corruption and malpractices in wheat procurement.

Dr Akhtar Malik said that the government had defeated artificial shortage of flour in urban areas. The hoarders would be screwed down next year to prevent artificial flour scarcity, he said. MPA Salim Labar said that all elected representatives would monitor wheat procurement in their respective constituencies and rights of farmers would be protected at levels. Deputy Commissioner Amir Khattak said that corona protective measures had been adopted at all wheat procurement centres. All the wheat procurement centres would be equipped with hand wash facilities.

Additional Deputy Commissioner Revenue Tayyab Khan said that each wheat procurement centre incharge would have to issue 500 sacks to each farmer. The issuance of gunny bags would be started from April 13, he told. He said that 17 wheat procurement centres had been set up in the district. A separate procurement committee had been constituted for each procurement centre, he informed. District Food Controller Malik Mumtaz said that the administration had made arrangements for providing gunny bags if the procurement target increased.

FAISALABAD: On the directions of Punjab CM Sardar Usman Buzdar, the provincial ministers have been assigned duties to supervise the wheat procurement campaign in the province.

Punjab Minister for Public Prosecution Ch Zaheeruddin has assigned Faisalabad district. In this connection, Ch Zaheeruddin chaired a meeting at the DC Office and reviewed the arrangements for wheat procurement campaign.

Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Ali informed the provincial minister about the establishment of the centres and other arrangements in connection with the wheat procurement campaign. He informed that 175,025 metric tons target of wheat procurement had been set for which 11 centres had been established. He said that necessary arrangements had been completed at the centre and awareness of the farmers had also been started.

The Punjab minister said that wheat would be purchased from farmers at Rs 1,400 per 20kg and SOPs for wheat purchase centres had been made. He said that the farmers would buy wheat on first come, first come first served basis and the Punjab government would buy wheat from the centres.

The district administration and the Food Department should follow the SOPs, he ordered. He said that the Punjab CM had directed to ensure the implementation on the merit policy in the wheat procurement campaign in the province and gunny bags should be distributed among the farmers. He said that the set targets should be accomplished at every cost and said that he would monitor the wheat procurement campaign. Punjab Minister for Public Prosecution Ch Zaheeruddin also reviewed the targets under the Clean and Green campaign in the district. The DC informed that more than 600,000 plants had been planted while urban forests had been set up at Mamukanjan, Tandlianwala and on Niamuana-Sammundri Road where trees had been planted.