03 May 2004	Monday	12 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1425

LAHORE, May 2: The Punjab Food Department was only able to procure 1.2 million tons of wheat till Saturday against a target of 3.5 million tons.

According to department officials, the procurement drive dipped on Friday and Saturday because of widespread rain in the province.

Wheat arrival slowed down to 66,000 tons from 81,000 tons on Thursday. However, the officials expected the procurement process to pick up in the next few days. They also resented the fact that the Pakistan Agriculture Storage and Services Corporation (Passco) was buying wheat parallel to food department's drive, but the federal government was still pressuring the Punjab government to meet the requirements of other provinces.

Passco procures wheat for federal requirements but is kept out of picture while discussing needs of other province. If Punjab has to meet the requirements of other federating units, Passco should not be allowed to procure 1.4 million tons of wheat from Punjab.

Some of the wheat market experts from Punjab on Sunday advocated monopoly procurement by the Punjab government. The government seems to be taking a 180-degree policy turn on procurement.

During the last two years, it tried painstakingly to involve the private sector in the procurement process but now seemed determined to limit its role, if not end it altogether.

If this is the case, it should try to consider the option of monopoly procurement by purchasing all tradable surplus in the market and then supplying wheat to those requiring it in the country.

This would ensure uniformity of prices and supply stability in the food market and end cartelization in the flour market and subsequent exploitation of consumers.

Third World realities are different from the West and the government has realised it within a year of opening up its food market to the private sector. Foreigners are still to come to Pakistan with more money and thirst for profit. Once they come in, food security of the country would be held hostage by them and any government would be on its knees, they warned.

Meanwhile, according to the latest figures available, Passco was able to procure around 430,000 tons of wheat. Wheat arrival at its centres has picked up following the steps taken by the Punjab government.

Its daily arrival before the current rain spell was only around 20,000 tons, which increased to 25,000 just before the rains hit the province. Last two days' figures were not available with the corporation because of the holiday.

Political manoeuvring also seems to have gained momentum with the chief of Pakistan Flour Mills Association who hails from the NWFP on Friday taking Salim Saifullah, secretary-general of the ruling PML-Q, to Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain for resolving the issue.

Mr Shujaat, however, has not been able to convince his cousin, the chief minister of Punjab, to lift the ban on wheat movement. The Punjab government has declared on more than one occasions its intention to continue the ban till meeting its target of food security.