Wheat procurement: Not being supplied gunny bags, farmers say

Investigation demanded into charges of corruption in distribution of gunny bags

FAISALABAD: Scores of farmers from Mamu Kanjan and Kanwani on Monday staged a protest demonstration against the administration Mamu Kanjan Wheat Procurement Centre for failing to provide them gunny bags.

Kissan Board general secretary Lal Sher Khan led the demonstration.

The protesters carried banners and placards and chanted slogans against the management of the procurement centre and the Food Department and demanded immediate provision of gunny bags.

Talking to newsmen, Khan said gunny bags were instead being given to middle men.



“When farmers go to the centre and ask for gunny bags, they are told that distribution has been stopped on the orders of senior authorities,” he said.

“We filed a complaint with the Food Department, saying we had been promised 400 gunny bags. We told the Food Department that not all of these bags had been delivered,” he said.

He said the Food Department had announced to distribute 360,000 gunny bags from Mamu Kanjan Wheat Procurement Centre but after 291,612 were issued, the officials had stopped giving sacks to farmers.

He said the chief minister should take notice of the situation and form a team to investigate the corruption in the distribution of gunny bags. The protesters blocked Mamu Kanjan-Kanwani Road and held up traffic for several hours.

On being informed, Akhtar Hussain, a representative of the district food controller, met the farmers and assured them that gunny bags would be issued to them as promised.

He said an inquiry would be conducted against the coordinator of the wheat procurement centre and if he was found involved in misappropriation or violation of rules and regulations, strict action would be taken against him. The protesters dispersed peacefully following this assurance.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 26^th, 2015.