ISLAMABAD: Procurement of wheat process is feared to be delayed in Punjab and Sindh due to non-distribution of gunny bags among farming community.
The Punjab government has set wheat procurement target as four million metric tonnes during the financial year 2016-17, besides setting up 377 procurement centres in different cities. The rate for purchasing 40 kg wheat has been announced Rs 1,300.
Whereas wheat purchase target has been fixed 1.1 million metric tonnes in Sindh during the fiscal year 2016-17 while 442 wheat purchase centres have been established in this province.
According to information available with Daily Times, the process for purchase of wheat is feared to be delayed in Punjab and Sindh due to non-initiation of distribution of gunny bags in the provinces.
The farming community had to face enormous difficulties due to non-completion of wheat purchase process in Punjab last year. The farmers were forced to sell the wheat at lower rate in market and they had to suffer financial loss.
It was learnt that the farmers who enjoy no support from influential quarters were forced to sell the wheat at lower rates in the market, which entailed heavy financial suffering to them. This year they will have to face difficult situation too as the distribution of gunny bags has not been started according to schedule.
1.18 million tonnes of gunny bags including 61,100 kg jute bags and 57,050 kg PP bags were available with the Punjab government last year. The government has purchased 2.82 million gunny bags including jute bags of 591,000 kg and PP bags of 2.23 kg this year. These bags have been allocated for purchase of wheat and they will be sufficient to procure four million metric tonnes of wheat.
As many as 377 wheat procurement centres have been set up in Punjab. They include 195 godowns and 182 open centres. According to break up, 16 centres have been established in Rawalpindi division, 43 centres in Gujranwala, 41 centres in Lahore, 37 centres in Faisalabad, 36 in Sargodha, 43 in Sahiwal, 47 in Multan, 70 in Bahawalpur and 40 centres have been set up in DG Khan division.