The Punjab Food Department, Multan Region, would start procurement of wheat from April 15, Deputy Director Imran Sikandar said on Wednesday while talking to newsmen. He said the procurement would be made at departments'69 centres across six districts, including Multan, Lodhran, Vehari, Sahiwal, Pakpattan and Khanewal had been organised for the purpose.
Imran Sikandar said the procurement of 0.78 million tons of the commodity would be made at the new price of Rs 625 per 40 kilogram at the procurement centres. The farmers will be issued gunny bags against a nominal surety price of Rs 53, refundable at the time of supply of wheat.
The district-wise procurement target has been fixed as under: Multan 143,000 tons, Lodhran 87,000 tons, Vehari 160,000 tons, Sahiwal 160,000 tons, Pakpattan 70,000 tons and Khanewal 160,000 tons.
About the flour price, he said till April 15 the Food Department would continue to supply wheat to the flourmills at the old rate of Rs 465 per 40 kilogram. Likewise, the millers are bound to provide flour at the rate of Rs 300 per 20 kilogram.
He said the government had yet to announce the new price for the millers in August. Till that time the flour millers would purchase golden grain from the open market. A production target of 18.5 million tons of wheat had been fixed for Punjab for the current year, said Punjab Agricultural Information Multan, Assistant Director Muhammad Ishaq Lashari.
Punjab fulfils the wheat needs of the three provinces and AJK, which produces surplus yield. Any shortfall necessitates the import of the commodity, involving precious forex spending on it. He said the crop had been cultivated on 15.8 million acres, which was 1.5 percent less than the targeted area. He said the shortfall might have occurred due to irrigation water scarcity and power load shedding.
Last year the province produced 17.85 million tons of wheat, which could not suffice our national needs and the caretaker government had to import some 1.5 million tons of the golden grain to offset the scarcity. Lashari to a question said that some early-sown crop had slightly suffered due to the winter frost.
Another senior official of the Agriculture Department said that 20 percent decrease in the wheat output was being feared in the province due to inadequate rains and scanty flow of water in canals, besides power load shedding had also affected the operation of tube-wells.