ISLAMABAD – Bumper wheat harvest of over 24 million tonnes is expected during the current crop season in comparison to 22 million tonnes required for domestic consumption. Wheat Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MinFA) Development Commissioner Dr Shakeel Ahmad Khan has said that crop harvesting was in full swing in Sindh where over 115,000 tonnes of the commodity has been procured.
He informed that the harvesting has also started in Punjab Province where as the procurement campaign in the province would be started from April 20 across all wheat growing areas. It was also indicated that all arrangements were finalised to procure wheat on official fixed rates of Rs 950 per 40 kg and facilitate the growers for better returns of their produce.
In this regard, he said that Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation (PASSCO) has established about 200 wheat procurement centers all across the Punjab province. “As much as 1.3 million tons of wheat would be procured by PASSCO during the current wheat procurement campaign for the year 2010-11,” he added. These centers have been established in 10 zones of the Punjab Province including Hafazabad, Pakpatan, Veharrie, Bawalnagar, Khaniwal, Lodhrran, Allipur, Khanpur and Khairpur districts.
Initially, the corporation has arranged packing material of 800,000 tons of wheat while the sacks for packing remaining wheat would be purchased next month, he added. It was also indicated that the provincial government in line with the federal government has devised a strategy to provide 200 bags for each farmer at an average of 10 bags per acre for small and medium growers.
Larger scale farmers having land of more than 50 acres will be provided 500 bags for each farmer, adding that when these bags will be filled by growers they would be provided more bags for grain packing, he added. The sacks would be provided after the land certification of revenue department to ensure transparency adding that only those farmers would be entertained who provide the certificate of land.
