Govt to ensure timely payments to farmers

FAISALABAD:

A comprehensive mechanism has been devised to achieve the target of purchasing four million tons of wheat and ensure timely payments to growers, said Punjab Food Minister Chaudhary Abdul Ghafoor.

Talking to the media on Thursday, he said an effective plan had been devised for providing maximum benefits to genuine farmers during the wheat procurement campaign. He said the government was monitoring the wheat purchase operation in order to ensure a transparent process and check exploitation of farmers.

On complaints of the growers, the minister said gunny bags were being distributed under a prescribed policy to facilitate them. He assured the farmers that the issue of increase in quota of jute bags would be tabled in a meeting of the provincial cabinet.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 6^th, 2011.