Pakistan Agriculture Storage and Services Corporation (Passco) announced here on Saturday to start wheat procurement from April 30, 2011 saying recent rains and moisture in wheat has delayed the process of by one week. However, the gunny bag distribution will start from April 27, 2011 from all its over 200 centres set up in fifteen Tehsils of Punjab, three of Sindh and two in Balochistan.
It may be mentioned here that in recent past, the Corporation's management had announced to launch wheat procurement from fourth week of April. The Federal government has assigned the Corporation a target of procuring 1.3 million tons of wheat.
'The Corporation has finalised all the arrangements for procuring 1.3 million tons of wheat in line with the directives issued by the Federal government,' said a spokesman of the Passco. The spokesman stated that 65 percent of the total required gunny bags had been provided at all the purchase centers, while supply of rest is in the process. Farmers will be paid Rs 950 per maund besides Rs 7 per bag as delivery charges.
The spokesman stated that the Corporation would facilitate the growers in disposing off their produce at the government announced rate and has chalked out a transparent, model and farmer friendly policy in this regard. The Corporation has set up its procurement centers in Hafizabad, Pindi Bhattian, Gojra, Okara including Renala Khurd, Pakpattan, Mailsi, Burewala, Mian Channu, Lodhran, Kehror Pucca, Bahawalnagar, Minchanabad, Alipur including Jatoi, Khanpur and Layyah. The Corporation has set up 180 procurement centres in these tehsils of Punjab.
While in Sindh, eleven centres have been established in Sobo Dero, Kundoyar and Sikrand. Similarly 08 centres have been established in Naseerabad and Jafferabad districts of Balochistan for procurement of wheat. The spokesman said that the Corporation would fully strive that growers should not face any problem in procurement process.