KARACHI: CM resents inefficiency of food dept staff - Wheat crisis
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, April 29: Chief Minister Sardar Ali Mohammad Mahar has expressed his dissatisfaction over the performance of Food Department, and ordered action against its inefficient staff.
He also ordered action wheat hoarders indulged in profiteering.
While presiding over a meeting at the CM's House here on Thursday, Mr Mahar directed the Food Department officials to take all necessary measures to ensure availability of wheat and flour at reasonable prices throughout Sindh.
The meeting was called to review the wheat stock position in the province. Food Minister Arif Mustafa Jatoi was present at the meeting. The CM impressed upon the concerned staff to put in all efforts to achieve the wheat procurement target and ensure payment to growers of the price fixed by the government.
It may be mentioned here that the Sindh cabinet in a meeting in February, had approved wheat procurement price at Rs350 per maund and fixed the procurement target at 600,000 tonnes.
The meeting, while discussing wheat crisis, had attributed the situation to mismanagement and embezzlement of wheat stocks. Later, some 20 officials of the Food Department had been interrogated.
At the Thursday's meeting, the chief minister stressed the need for improving performance of the department through an effective and better coordination in order to overcome the crisis.
He told the meeting that if the situation did not improve and the wheat procurement target was not met, the government would consider importing one million tonnes of wheat to avert any crisis in future.
The CM maintained that the province should have a wheat stock of at least 1.2 million tonnes. The meeting was informed that the provincial requirement of wheat was estimated at 4.2 million tonnes whereas its production this year was expected be better with estimates put at around 2.2 million tonnes. The remaining quantity would have to be either acquired from Punjab or imported.
The food secretary informed the meeting that traders had been extended loans amounting to Rs3.12 billion by the National Bank at a mark up of three per cent to facilitate the procurement of wheat from different places in Sindh.
However, he claimed, instead of marketing the wheat, the traders resorted to hoarding. He referred to a handout and maintained that flour millers were also hoarding wheat, thus creating an artificial crisis.
The secretary said that all out efforts were being made to procure maximum possible wheat. Chief Secretary Dr Mutawakkil Kazi attributed the wheat crisis to the last year's shortfall in production. He suggested that the federal government should chalk out a comprehensive policy keeping in view the wheat requirement of all the four provinces so that a crisis could be avoided.
