Passco set to launch 'wheat procurement drive 2012'

Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation (Passco) is all set to launch 'wheat procurement drive 2012' from the last week of this month. "We will start gunny bags distribution likely from April 27 and receive back wheat bags at designated centres from May 1," said Passco General Manager (Fields) Colonel Tanvir Hussain (Retd) while informally talking to a group of journalists on Saturday.
Discussing the salient features of the upcoming drive, he said that initially the corporation had set a wheat procurement target of 1.5 million tons and all arrangements had been finalised in this regard, including arrangement of finance. But the Economic Co-ordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet enhanced the procurement target for the Corporation from 1.5 million tons to 2 million tons in a recent meeting.
"Our financial wing is in negotiations for arranging funds for the enhanced target of 500,000 tons and hope to get it done before the launch of the procurement drive," he added. The corporation has also planned not to issue gunny bags during first 10 days of its procurement drive to growers having over 12 acres of land to accommodate small growers. "In this regard, we will consult lists provided by the provincial revenue department so no small grower is denied gunny bags," he said. Growers will be paid Rs 7 per 100 kilograms as delivery charges in addition to the support price announced by the government.
He also disclosed that the corporation was also start a pilot project in Mian Channu (Khanewal Zone), adding that growers who had obtained loan from the Zarai-Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) for sowing wheat would be given priority. Their payment, he said, would directly be deposited in concerned ZTBL branches.
The bank, after deducting its due payment, would deliver the rest of the money to the growers. This arrangement would ensure prompt payback by small farmers who rely on loans. He said that Passco had divided wheat-growing provinces, including Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan, in 11 zones for the wheat procurement campaign. It would set up five to seven procurement centres in all tehsils after consulting with provincial food departments. Referring to wheat storage arrangements, Passco's general manager said that the corporation had covered storage for around 430,000 ton of wheat, while it was establishing silos for 650,000 tons of additional storage.