Wheat procurement: Sindh owes farmers Rs78.7m

Sindh Food Department has not paid farmers for the wheat procured in Larkana district.

RATODERO: Unrest among wheat farmers is growing and they are holding protest demonstrations, as the Sindh Food Department has not paid them for the wheat procured in Larkana district. The amount the food department owes is Rs78.7 million. The employees of the organisation has also joined the protest demonstrations, as according to them the district officers of the department were responsible for non-payments resulting in altercation between the growers and workers. “Due to non-payment of wheat price, we are facing the wrath of the growers and altercations are taking place almost daily,” Food Inspectors Muhammad Yousaf Khoso, Wajid Bhutto and others told the media on Thursday during a joint protest demonstration. They said that the department procured 30,000 wheat bags from the farmers but the district food controller did not release the amount yet. “This has resulted in pressure from growers who are planning to move to the court,” they added.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 29^th, 2012.