Harvest time: 8 bodies to monitor wheat purchase

Defaulters of power bills, taxes will not get gunny bags.

FAISALABAD:

Eight Food Department committees would monitor the wheat procurement campaign in the division this year.

The committees were set up on Thursday to ensure fair and transparent purchase of wheat from the growers.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Assistant Food Controller Muhammad Shafi said that Deputy Food Secretary Shehbaz Ahmad would supervise the committees. He said besides monitoring the purchase, the committees would also take action on growers’ complaints.

He said distribution of gunny bags in the Faisalabad district had begun on April 20 and that procurement centres had also been set up.

The department, he said, had set a target to purchase 495,000 metric tonnes of wheat in Faisalabad.

He said, “In addition to the cost of the wheat, growers are also being paid delivery charges at the rate of Rs7.50 per 100 kg”.

He said wheat with more than 10 per cent moisture would not be purchased. He said farmers had been advised to bring clean and quality wheat.

The official purchase rate is fixed at Rs1,200 per 40 kilograms.

The procurement centres are open from 8am to 5pm every day.

The campaign will continue till June 7. Gunny bag will be issued till May 30. Special arrangements have been made for waiting areas and for drinking water.

Separately on Thursday, Divisional Commissioner Mushtaq Ahmad Anjum issued a notice to the Food Department and administration of wheat procurement centres stopping them from issuing gunny bags to defaulters.

The decision came after the commissioner was informed at a meeting that a large number of farmers had not paid water rates, while some of them had not paid income tax for several years.

Anjum ordered revenue officers to expedite the recovery.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 26^th, 2013.