Daily Times

The Punjab Food Department has set a target of purchasing 3.5 to 5 million metric tonnes of wheat across the province including Faisalabad this year while the price of wheat will stand at Rs 1,800 per 40 kg.

Farmers will be paid cash on 10 tonnes of wheat while payments on purchases of more wheat will be made by paycheck.

Similarly, delivery charges of Rs 9 per 100 kg of wheat have been fixed while the duration of wheat procurement campaign will stand at a month but it can be extended in consultation with the Cabinet Committee.

The Punjab Food Department has dubbed the wheat procurement drive Growers Friendly Voluntary Procurement (GFVP) policy across the province this year which has been formally launched. According to the policy, the Punjab Food Department has set a total procurement target of 3.5 to 5 million metric tonnes of wheat across Punjab including Faisalabad. However, the Director Food and the Deputy Directors of all the divisions will have the power to increase or decrease the wheat procurement target within their respective limits. The price of wheat has been fixed at Rs. 1800 of 40 Kg across the province and the wheat procurement drive starts from today in consultation with the Deputy Commissioners of all the districts.

The Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) will set up an online dashboard in which the provision of bardana to the farmers, complaints and their solutions will be registered. All the farmers and cultivators will get up to 500 bags of bardana from the concerned center in-charge while up to 1000 bags will be authorized by the District Food Controller (DFC) concerned. The average weight of wheat in jute bags has been fixed at 101.100 kg while the average weight of PP bags has been fixed at 50.115 kg and according to this average weight, procurement will be done at the center. In addition, delivery charges of 100 kg wheat for farmers have been fixed at Rs, 9.

According to the policy, the maximum moisture content of wheat procured has been fixed at 10%. For wheat procurement, working hours will be from 9 am to 5 pm while wheat procurement will continue seven days a week without any break. A total of 393 wheat procurement centers have been set up by the Punjab Food Department for wheat procurement across the province and a bank branch has been set up at all these wheat procurement centers. Where till the purchase of 10 tons of wheat, the farmer will be paid in cash on the spot while the farmers selling more wheat will be paid through paycheck.

According to the policy issued by the Punjab Food Department, private procurement, transportation and storage of wheat will be banned. However, up to 1000 kg of wheat can be procured for domestic use. Similarly, according to the food green license of the flour mills, they will be allowed to buy wheat but the sale of wheat will be banned.

According to the issued policy, bins will be used for storing wheat in all the divisions across the province and there will be an average use of 60:40 where PP bags will be covered with jute bags and this will be the same as last year will continue. A Gazetted Officer will be appointed by the Deputy Commissioner at all Procurement Centers as Center Coordinator who will perform the duties of Dispute Resolution Officer. At the same time, it has been clarified that the transfer of all staff of the food department will be restricted till the completion of the wheat procurement campaign.