KHAIRPUR, April 18: Provincial Food Secretary Mir Mohammed Parhiar has said that wheat procurement target of 120,000 tonnes fixed for Khairpur district would be achieved soon because the district government has imposed section 144 to stop transport of wheat out of the district.

Speaking at a meeting of food department officials at the circuit house here on Sunday, the secretary said that growers would be paid according to a rate fixed by the government and action would be taken in case Bardana (jute bags) were not provided to growers or commission was demanded from them.

Mr Parhiar said that during the last two years, performance of the district food department had remained unsatisfactory. In reply to a question, he said that an inquiry was in progress against 32 food officials of the Sukkur region and they had been suspended from their service.

Meanwhile, the district food controller and assistant food controller, Khairpur, raided private godowns in Setharja and Kot Diji on Saturday and seized 670 bags of wheat. Food officials claimed that the stock was being transported to another district. District Nazim Nafisa Shah imposed a ban on taking wheat out of the district after the incident.