Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation (PASSCO) is likely to start gunny bag distribution under ‘Wheat Procurement Drive 2012’ from the last week of the current month while initiate receiving wheat bags from growers from May 01, 2012.
The corporation has also planned not to issue gunny bags during first 10 days of its procurement drive to any grower having over 12 acres of land to fully accommodate the small growers. ‘In this regard we will consult the lists provided by the provincial revenue department to the Corporation so as no small grower is denied gunny bags,’ said an official of the corporation.
Growers will be given Rs7 per 100 kilograms as delivery charges besides the government announced support price.
Initially arrangements had been made to procure 1.5 million tons of wheat but the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) had increased the target assigned to PASSCO to two million tons for the current year in a recently held meeting. All the arrangements, including financing had been arranged and now finance wing of the corporation is in negotiation to arrange finances for the enhanced target and hopefully make it before the start of distribution of the gunny bags, official added.
PASSCO is also going to experiment a new project on pilot basis in Mian Channu (Khanewal Zone) where growers who had obtained loan from the Zarai-Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) for sowing of wheat would be given priority. The corporation would buy their wheat on priority basis and their payment would be deposited with the ZTBL branch concerned. The Bank after deducting its payment would deliver rest of the money to the said growers. This arrangement would ensure that the small farmers who rely on loaning for growing their crop could sell their produce on priority basis thus ensuring paying back the debt as well as getting their amount in time through banking channel.
