As wheat procurement kicks off in the province with a target of 1.3 million metric tonnes, the Sindh government on Friday imposed Section 144 on the inter-district movement of wheat and at Sindh-Punjab border to avoid hoarding and smuggling of the commodity.
The Sindh Food Department had recently requested the provincial Home Department to impose the ban on April 20.
Well-placed sources told Pakistan Today that food inspectors and police have also been instructed to check the movement of wheat particularly to the neighbouring Punjab province.
The wheat procurement target has not been enhanced and stands at 1.3 million metric tonnes due to its low productivity after catastrophic floods hit the crops in almost all districts of the province.
The whole wheat procurement process would require at least Rs 35 billion for which the food department would borrow loans from the State Bank of Pakistan.
In order to facilitate poor growers, at least 322 procurement centres would be established in different parts of the province, while deployment of officials would be ensured at the centres where at least 12 million sacks (Bardana) would also be made available.
