May 13, 2003	Tuesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 10, 1424

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TOBA TEK SINGH, May 12: The food department and Passco may not be able to meet wheat procurement target this year due to couple of factors.

The grain market commission agents pay the growers Rs298 per maund — just Rs2 less than the support price. They pay the growers in cash as soon as they bring the produce to the market. In case of food department and Passco, they issue vouchers to the farmers. They have to open accounts in banks to get the vouchers encashed. This process has discouraged farmers to sell wheat at the procurement centres of food department and Passco.

Though recently food department gave an incentive to the cultivators under which the condition of producing Dhal Bash and Gardawari report of patwari and depositing Rs50 per bag for the issuance of a gunny bag was waived. Even these incentives failed to attract farmers to sell wheat at the food department and Passco procurement centres.

The other factor is that the millers from the NWFP are in the market to purchase wheat. They are reportedly buying wheat from the commission agents at around Rs3 higher than the support price of Rs300 per maund.

BAR MEETING: The general body meeting of the District Bar Association has been summoned for Tuesday to discuss registration of a case against a Bar member on the complaint of tehsil Nazim.

Tehsil Nazim Chaudhry Rafiq alleged that former DBA general secretary Chaudhry Tanvir Husain attacked him in his office where he had come to lodge a complaint.

SUPPORT TO PRESIDENT: District Nazims will continue to support President Gen Pervez Musharraf on the issues of Legal Framework Order (LFO) and holding of office of the army chief.

District Nazim Chaudhry Ashfaq told newsmen on Monday after reaching here from Lahore where he had gone to attend the meeting of district Nazims with Gen Musharraf.

Mr Ashfaq said those politicians who contested general election under LFO were opposing it.