Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Agriculture and Storage Corporation (PASCO) is facing problems, as the government has failed to pay it Rs 75.52 billion outstanding dues.

The government has set a target of 1.797 million metric tonnes wheat procurement through the PASCO for 2016-17. The government has one million metric tonnes of reserve wheat. It also has a stock of 0.040 million metric tonnes of wheat under the SAARC Food Bank Reserve.

According to the documents available with Daily Times, the federal government has not made a payment of Rs 33.04 billion to the PASCO so far. As per wheat sale receivables position, Gilgit-Baltistan owes Rs 35,156,000,000 to the PASCO, Azad Jammu and Kashmir owes Rs 3,476,000,000, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa owes Rs 74 69 00000 and another department and Afghanistan owe the PASCO Rs102,100,000 and Rs 180,000,000, respectively.

According to the Public Sector Wheat Procurement Target for 2015-16, 4.50 million tonnes target was set for Punjab, 1.10 million tonnes for Sindh, 0.35 million tonnes for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 0.10 million tonnes for Balochistan and 1 million tonnes for the PASCO.

The PASCO has evolved a mechanism for wheat purchase and set up 12 zones, 33 projects and 230 wheat purchase centres in this regard. Wheat will be purchased from 11 districts of Punjab, five districts of Sindh, two districts of Balochistan and one district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. For purchase of wheat, the PASCO has set up nine zones — Sargodha, Vehari, Sahiwal, Khanewal, Multan, Bahawalnagar. Alipur, Khanpur and Layyah in Punjab; Khairpur in Sindh; Dera Allah Yar in Balochistan and Charsadda in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

All necessary arrangements have been made for purchase of wheat from all centres and the wheat procurement campaign has been launched in some districts. The PASCO has asked the government to clear the outstanding dues and the government has assured it of measures in this regard.