MIRPURKHAS: Singh government has set the wheat procurement target for the province at 1.1 million metric tonnes for the current year with an increase of 0.2 million metric tonnes over the previous year target of 0.9 tonnes.
Sindh Food Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said this while presiding over a high-level meeting to take account of complaints regarding non-opening of procurement centres in the district.
The meeting was attended by Secretary Food Laeeq Ahmed, Mirpurkhas Commissioner Shafique Ahmed Mahesar, MPAs Khair un Nisa Mughal and Noor Ahmed Bhurgri, members of Sindh Abadgar Board and Sindh Chamber of Agriculture Ahmed Anwar Qaimkhani, Zahid Bhurgri, Mir Tariq Talpur, Umer Bughio and officials of food and revenue departments. The provincial minister informed that identified procurement and bardana centers would be made operational from next week.
During the current year, 350,000 gunny bags would be distributed among wheat growers of the Mirpurkhas division, he said adding that previous year 259,000 gunny bags were provided to growers. He directed officials of food department that the gunny bags should be distributed among growers judiciously at bardana centres.
Sindh government was aware of growers’ issues and taking measures for fair and equitable distribution of the bardana to small growers on priority basis while wheat would also be procured from the small growers, the minister said adding that committees comprising representatives of Sindh Abadgar Board and Sindh Chamber of Agriculture as well as officials of district administration and Food Department would be constituted to monitor the procurement process.