Food department has been given the task by the Punjab government to ensure the immediate payment of support price of wheat fixed by the government as Rs 950 per 40 kg to farmers who would bring their crops to procurement centres. This procurement of wheat would be started in the first week of April.
Managing Director Pasco, Major General Saeed Anwar has said that Pasco will procure about 1.5 million tonne wheat on the direction of federal government under Wheat Procurement Campaign 2009 from 1st April. He further said that 300 procurement centres have been established for this purpose in 15 tehsils of Punjab, 2 tehsils of Sindh and 2 tehsils of Balochistan.
The provincial government has issued the orders to take strict action against those officials who found to be involved in delaying the payments to farmers. District governments have been directed to monitor the procurement process and to ensure the provision of support price fixed by the government to farmers as Rs950 per 40 kg.
The task set for the districts of southern Punjab to procure wheat are 166,830 tonne for Multan, 101,500 tonne for Lodhran, 186,670 for Vehari, 186,670 for Khanewal, in Dera Ghazi Khan 105,000 tonne, Muzaffargarh 145,830, Rajanpur 163,330, Layyah 116,670, Bahawalpur 250,830, Bahawalnagar 274,170 and that for Rahim Yar Khan is 175,000 metric tonne.
A large amount of Rs 46 billion is being taken on loan from different financial institutions for the payments to farmers. It is also to be remembered here that on the demand of Pakistan Crop Protection Association (PCPA) and Kisan Forum that farmers should be paid the support price on time, Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has approved the funds of Rs111 billion for the wheat procurement.
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