Shahbaz reviews wheat procurement drive

A high level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Punjab Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif reviewed the ongoing wheat procurement drive and supply of gunny bags to the farmers. A number of important decisions were taken during the meeting. Chief Minister issued instructions for setting up a cabinet committee to formulate recommendations within two months for foolproof arrangement for wheat procurement next year as well as purging Food Department of corrupt and inefficient officers.
The committee will also include members of Kisan committee while proposals of middlemen will also be sought in this regard. The meeting also decided to introduce third-party audit system with regard to wheat procurement under which reputed audit firms will check wheat stocks of flourmills. It was also decided to constitute a special team at district level comprising revenue and police officers to immediately address the complaints regarding wheat procurement and bringing of wheat by the cultivators in their own gunny bags. It was decided that farmers would be able to acquire 200 gunny bags from wheat procurement centers without deposit.
The Chief Minister said that interests of small farmers would be fully safeguarded during wheat procurement campaign and no exploitation would be permitted. He said that Food Department committed grave irregularities in the distribution of gunny bags due to which farmers faced serious problems. Therefore, he said, government allowed them to bring their produce in their own gunny bags and Rs 50 for a jute bag and Rs 15 for a polypropylene bag would be paid to the farmers. He said that the officers and staff harassing the cultivators bringing wheat in their own gunny bags would not be spared.
The Chief Minister directed that DCOs and District Police Officers should arrange announcements from mosques and at other places regarding bringing of wheat by the farmers in their own gunny bags.
Shahbaz directed that proper arrangements should be made for the storage of wheat. He said that an effective mechanism should be devised for the payment of unloading charges to the labourers and payment of charges by the government instead of contractors should be considered.
The meeting decided to increase the unloading charges from Rs 3 to Rs 5. Earlier, Secretary Food informed the meeting that 2 million tons wheat had been procured whereas gunny bags were available for the purchase of one million tons of more wheat. He informed that thousands of gunny bags had been recovered from middlemen. Senior Advisor Sardar Zulfiqar Ali Khan Khosa, Chief Secretary, Secretary Food and other senior officers were also present.