As the flour millers have been granted permission to buy wheat from the open market to meet their grinding needs, wheat procurement has dropped to 40,000 metric tons per day and more decline was expected during next ten days, said Punjab Food Department official.
The department sources informed Business Recorder on Monday that the department during the first 13 days of the its wheat procurement drive 2008, bought over 100,000 metric tons wheat per day. However, the quantity has dropped to 40,000 metric tons per day, they added.
Punjab Food Department officials fear further fall saying, 'Next 10 days are very crucial, as the millers would be buying wheat from the open market following their agreement with the government allowing them to purchase wheat from the open markets and lifting of ban on inter-district wheat and flour movement'.
Further, the department recorded 40,000 metric tons procurement on Sunday, the sources said, adding, 'Buying by the millers would leave impact on wheat procurement drive by the department, however, the situation would return to normalcy after 10 days or so'.
When asked what quantity they foresee that they would be buying after 10 days from now on, the sources could not predict. Replying to a question whether the department would be able to meet its target of buying 3.5 million tons of wheat fixed for the current year despite fall in the procurement rate, the official hoped positively and maintained that the procurement drive would continue till June 30 this year.
Regarding the procurement, they said that the department had procured over 2.3 million tons of wheat till May 18. According to the official sources, 'Till the aforementioned date, the department bought 318 metric tons of wheat from the district Rawalpindi, 598 from Attock, 253 from Jhelum, 974 from Chakwal, 1, 42, 885 from Gujranwala, 50,124 from Gujrat, 95,100 from Sialkot, 2,968 from Lahore-I and 2,086 from Lahore-II.
Earlier, the department also bought 1,01,338 metric tons of wheat from Sheikhupura, 31,912 from Kasur and 98,494 from Okara, 59,595 from Faisalabad, 70,278 from TT Singh, 2,03,408 from Jhang, 58,331 from Sargodha, 33,955 from Mianwali, 69,974 from Bhakkar, 48,373 from Multan, 40,176 from Lodhran, 85,748 from Vehari, 93,314 from Sahiwal, 40,719 from Pakpattan and 92,682 from Khanewal.
It had procured 63,800 metric tons from DG Khan, 88572 metric tons from Muzaffagarh, 106110 metric tons from Rajanpur and 70334 metric tons from Layyah. Further, the department procured 2,16,060 metric tons from Bahwalpur, 2,30,835 from Bahwalnagar and 111978 from Rahim Yar Khan.
Regarding the measures to check smuggling of wheat, the sources said, ' The department had set up some 300 check posts on different entry and exit points to check wheat smuggling'. They also claimed that the smuggling this year was far less than the last year. They also told that three check-posts on Motorways were also set up and became functional from Sunday. These check posts were set up on receiving information about possible smuggling of wheat.