PESHAWAR: In an unprecedented massive procurement drive, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Food Department has so far procured 120,000 metric tons of “quality wheat” against the target of 300,000 tons.
The influx of the huge quantity of wheat into the province has generated a huge economic activity. A big number of wheat-laden long vehicles can be seen on the main roads, especially near the official wheat go-downs in the province.
Owing to the pumper crops of wheat and the import from Ukraine, the sale of wheat became a big issue for farmers in Punjab after the government there stopped further procurement. Also, wheat is available cheaper in the local market and the government has fixed Rs 3900 per 40 kg as minimum support price so that the growers may not get discouraged to avoid growing wheat the next year.
In order to ensure transparency and fair play in the wheat procurement, the Food Department has taken a number of unprecedented measures.Talking to The News, Food Department Secretary Zariful Maani said that for the first time in the history of the department, digital apps were introduced and cameras were installed to monitor the procurement process across the province. The mechanism of first-come, first-served policy was adopted to ensure fairness, he added.
Detailed Standard Operating Procedures (SOPS) were introduced to guide the procurement process and multilayer monitoring mechanism to prevent irregularities, he said. Digital moisture meters are used to check wheat quality in the presence of providers and a notified committee. The acceptance and rejection certificates are generated through the app and signed by all committee members, he informed.
According to the webpage updated daily, some 183,000 metric tons of wheat have been procured so far. The procurement status of each center is updated daily for the public and farmers on the app.
Wheat procurement in the province is the biggest activity of the department there and in such an activity 100 percent transparency remains the most serious challenge. But the digitization of the whole process and zero tolerance policy against violation has enabled the department to ensure transparency. However, certain minor cases were reported during the drive so far due to which several employees have been suspended and inquiries initiated.
“To facilitate the procurement process, instructions have been issued to provide facilities such as drinking water and proper vehicle management, ensuring a first-come, first-served condition. The secretary himself and monitoring teams are actively visiting centers daily to oversee the procurement process,” Zariful Maani said.
The procurement of such a huge quantity of wheat would not only facilitate the general public and the government but it is for the first time in the history of the province that food security has been sufficiently ensured.
During the drive special attention is focused on facilitation of local growers and Sundays have been specified for them, but both quantity and quality of local produce is not up to the mark. The meager quantity of the local yield can be judged from the fact that the department allowed growers and dealers to have online booking at the ‘Food Management Information System (FMIS)’, the online app. Interestingly, 93.45 percent bookings were made by growers from Punjab with a quantity of 1.679 million metric ton, while just 6.55 percent booking with a quantity of 0.117 metric ton bookings were made by local growers.
Also, the quality of the wheat coming from Punjab was far better, an official of the food department said. The drive would continue till June 10, but it is highly expected that the targets of procuring 300,000 metric ton wheat would be achieved earlier than the cut-off date.
