April 23, 2007	Monday	Rabi-us-Sani 05, 1428

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LAHORE, April 22: The Punjab government’s wheat procurement drive begins from Monday (today) as the Food department claims gunny bags for 146,349 ton yield have been distributed till Saturday night.

According to departmental officials, the wheat harvesting has begun in most of the province but thrashing has yet to start. One reason for the delayed thrashing is that people do not want to use harvester, and loose husk, they say. Limited availability of thrashers may be another reason, they add. But, the department is ready with its entire wherewithal to procure wheat, they claim.

However, the officials are keeping mum over the exact procurement target, claiming they will be in the market as long as wheat keeps arriving. “Though 2.5 million tons target was fixed earlier, but it was done away with immediately because of the healthy crop size,” says an official. The government has sufficient funds and arrangements for carrying on purchase, they claim.

Hussain Jehanian Gardezi, provincial minister for food, mentions the toll-free telephone numbers set up by the department to entertain farmers’ complaints, saying they should feel free to inform high-ups in case of any problems.

The minister insists that the department would be purchasing wheat as long as it keeps arriving. Without revealing the exact target, he said that it would certainly be more than 2.5 million tons, as earlier fixed by the department.

“The department is also keeping a close watch on price pattern in the province,” says provincial secretary (Food) Ahmad Yar Khan. Though the campaign is still to take off and gain the required momentum, but the department is getting daily price report from all parts of the province. Should it slide in any part, the department will be right there for aggressive buying and bringing price back to normal, he claims.

Hitherto, wheat price, as per arrival at grain markets, is hovering between Rs405 to Rs435 per 40kg, he says and claims: “The department will keep a tab on price pattern throughout the procurement campaign.”

Farmers, though welcoming the drive, say the government has yet to explain the 13-day delay in starting the campaign, claiming it had hard economic implications for them.

On the other hand, the department sources say the price has not gone down below Rs405 per 40kg, refuting the farmers’ claim, with `proofs’, that it dipped as low as Rs385 per 40kg in some parts of the country, especially in southern part along the River Indus.

“Had growers not been suffering any fiscal loss due to the delay, why they should be crying for an early start,” says Farooq Ahmad Bajwa of the Farmers Associate Pakistan (FAP). There is no justification for the delayed campaign if the department had made all the arrangements, he says.