Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation (Passco) has finalised the modalities for procurement of paddy from Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan provinces. Managing Director, Passco, Major General Anwar Saeed Khan while talking to APP here, on Saturday said, "We have worked out the foolproof and transparent modalities in line with the policy of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture for intervention in paddy procurement".
He said that Passco on the decision of the Economic Co-ordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet has evolved a viable mechanism to safeguard the interest of the farmers. He said that Federal Minister for Food and Agriculture had already held a meeting in this regard at Islamabad a couple of days ago. Moreover, another meeting is also expected to hold in the next few days with Chief Minister Sindh to involve private sector in paddy procurement to fully ensure proper return to farmers for their produce.
He said that Passco would get 50-60 rice mills on lease in Punjab, 35-40 in Sindh and 15-20 in Balochistan, which, he added, would be utilised as paddy procurement centres and for subsequent processing of paddy/ retrieval of rice. He said that paddy should be free from admixture and extraneous matter at the time of acceptance/procurement.
Managing Director said that the following moisture level and threshold would be applied:
(1) Moisture up to 14 percent no price cut or deduction.
(2) Moisture up to 14.1 percent to 18 percent full price deduction (for excessive moisture percentage beyond 14 percent)
(3) Moisture exceeding 18 percent paddy will rejected. He said that no other varieties of paddy (As approved by the ECC of cabinet) will be accepted except IRRI-6 at the rate of rupees 600 per 40 kg, Basmati 385/2000 for Rs 1,000 per 40 kg and Super Basmati for Rs 1,250 per 40 kg.
He said that hybrid and unauthorised paddy varieties would not be accepted. He said that payment would be made to growers whose credentials have been explicitly verified by the constituted provincial supervisory committee and countersigned by the DCOs concerned. Therefore, the payment will be made directly by Passco to the growers. He said, paddy procurement date will be announced in the last week of current month.
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