‘Arrangements for wheat procurement complete’

LAHORE: Punjab Food Minister Samiullah Chaudhry said Friday that arrangements for procuring wheat during the ongoing season had been completed.

He said that wheat would be procured at a rate of Rs1400 per maund, adding that this year the wheat procurement target had been set as 4.5 million metric ton. He said that food department officials and deputy commissioners had to make collective efforts to meet the procurement target.

He said that all possible steps would be taken to maintain the Punjab supply chain mechanism and no leniency would be shown to hoarders and illegal profiteers.

The Punjab food minister said that farmers would get direct benefit of their hard work as the role of middlemen had been wiped out. He said that flour mills would not be given permission for bulk purchase. It was decided in the meeting that private wheat purchasers would be allowed to procure wheat after achieving 50 percent wheat procurement by the Punjab Food Department, he added.

During the meeting, Punjab Food Director Wajid Ali Shah gave a detailed briefing about wheat procurement policy 2020-21, transportation of wheat and other matters.