Wheat procurement came to a halt on Saturday as field staff of the Food department went on strike against arrest of their colleague at Vehari. Deputy director Munir Ahmed told APP that entire field staff had gone on a strike all over the province against the arrest of assistant food controller Vehari Muhammad Ahsan Cheema.
Ahsan Cheema is president of the food department workers union Punjab. He has been apprehended on charge of corruption. So far over 300,000 tons of wheat has been procured against a target of 910,010 tons across Multan division, thus achieving 33 per cent target, said the deputy director.
He said a total of 74 centres have been established all over the division to purchase wheat at the support price of Rs 950 per 40 kilogram. To a question he said that although the provincial government has enhanced the procurement target from four million tons to six million tons.