Punjab Food Department has reduced the 89 wheat procurement centres and this year it established only 289 centres to purchase two million tons of wheat at Rs 415 per 40 kg while last year the Food Department had established 378 centre to purchase 3.5 million tons of wheat.
Federal Minister for Food, Agriculture and Livestock Sikandar Hayat Bosan has assured the farmers that Government would not leave them alone and it would purchase every bit of wheat. He said the Government had revised the support price of cotton and sugarcane to strengthen the farmers and now raw cotton would be purchased at Rs 1,025 per maund. He appealed to the farmers not to sell their produce at Rs 350 to 380 per maund to beoparis and they should wait only for two days when Food department and Passco would be available to purchase their produce at Government price in Punjab and Sindh.
A spokesman of Food department said that 3,30,000 tons of wheat would be procured in Dera Ghazi Khan region through 33 centres. In Bahawalpur division 3,85,000 tons through 54 centre and 4,50,000 tons in Multan division through 57 centres.