Pakistan Agriculture Storage and Services Corporation (Passco) kicked off paddy procurement here on Sunday at the selected centres in Punjab. Passco has authorised 45 rice mills to buy paddy on its behalf from the growers. It will make 75 percent payment while the rice mills will pay the remaining amount to the sellers.
Major General Anwer Saeed Khan, Managing Director Passco who inaugurated the procurement campaign at Mureedkay said that Passco's intervention would ensure 100 percent payment to the growers and minimise the exploitive role of the middleman. Federal Secretary, Food and Agriculture Muhammad Zia ul Rehman, President, Pakistan Basmati Growers Association (PBGA) Hamid Malhi, Khurim Ijaz Chatta (MPA), Dr Anjum Ali, Director General Extension Agriculture Punjab and a large number of growers were also present on the occasion.
Speaking on the occasion, federal secretary agriculture said that government had decided to purchase paddy from the growers to stabilise the paddy prices and ensure fair return to the farmers.
The Passco would buy 500,000 tons of Basmati at the rate of Rs 1,500 maund and 500,000 toons of Irri varieties of rice He said due to high moisture rate in the crop, it was not possible for Passco to store paddy for a long time, therefore rice mills were invited to come forward and buy paddy on behalf of Passco and after shelling, hand it over to Passco.
Mills would buy paddy at the government fixed rate of Rs 1,500 per maund (Super Basmati), Rs 1,250 (Basmati 385) and Irri-06 at the rate of Rs 700 per maund. Passco would purchase Super Basmati rice at the rate of Rs 3,000 per maund, Basmati-385 at Rs 2,500 and Irri at the rate of Rs 1,400 per maund. The secretary said that Passco officials would also visit Sukkur and Hyderabad on Monday and Tuesday to have meetings with rice millers and the representatives of agriculture department Sindh to make similar arrangements in the province.
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