May 12, 2008	Monday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 6, 1429

DERA GHAZI KHAN, May 11: Notwithstanding food department’s tall claims of achieving half of the wheat procurement targets, the deserted look of official purchase centres and an overall reluctance among farmers to sell the yield to the government warn of deepening of flour crisis in all the four districts of now defunct DG Khan division.

On the other hand, the provincial government has also sped up its efforts to ‘coerce’ farmers and millers into selling their excessive stocks to food department by launching an anti-holding campaign in the districts.

The continuing flour crisis, enhanced by smuggling factor and resulting in inflated prices has made the farmers reluctant to bring the yield to food department’s 39 procurement centres -- eight in DG Khan, nine in Rajanpur, 15 in Muzaffargarh and seven in Layyah – despite the incentive of Rs32 per hundred kilogram bag ‘delivery charges’.

Contrary to previous years’ scenario, one hardly sees any hustle and bustle at the official wheat procurement centres which used to receive heaps of the yield during this time of the season.

Alarmed by the situation, District Coordination Officer Tahir Hussain has fielded his revenue crew to launch an anti-holding campaign against the farmers and flour mills owners having `excessive’ stocks. The campaign, to be run through patwaris, lambardars and tehsildars, is causing concern among the stakeholders.

A panicked farmer, Raheem Dad, feared the `forcible’ procurement could bring the hard-pushed cultivators at odds with the state machinery and might result in deterioration of the situation.

The apprehension seems to carry weight, as the ultimate looser in such initiatives is the small farmer while the big landholders usually go scot-free.

Sources say, a couple of days ago, a food department team raided a flour mill, recovering 10,000 bags of extra wheat but could not impound the stock as the owner was associated with the PML-N.

Former federal minister Awais Ahmed Leghari strongly criticised the government’s policy and said farmers were already under stress and such campaigns might create unrest among rural community.

According to an agriculture officer, Arshad, the average production of wheat was less then previous year’s.

However, the DG Khan deputy director (food) claimed the department had seized 1970,400 kilograms of wheat, 448,200 kgs of flour and 15,600 kgs of fine flour in the four districts, while 77 cases had been registered against the ‘culprits’ under 3/6 Food Act.

He also claimed the department had accomplished 50 per cent of the procurement target. Responding to the query about deserted look of procurement centres, he said the presence of wheat-laden trolleys at the centres was not the `proper way’ to gauge the volume of procurement.

Meanwhile, official sources told Dawn the food department had been directed to double its procurement target.

Sources said wheat and flour were still being smuggled outside the district by private contractors procuring wheat from the farm at higher rates.

The Food Department and various state agencies have set up checkpoints at Shah Wali at Sindh border, Trimu at the NWFP border, and Baiwata at Balochistan border to stop the smuggling.

Besides, police checkpoints are also operating at Sakhi Sarwar and Taunsa Sharif, along with the Border Military Police and Rangers.

A naib nazim of a tribal area union council, requesting anonymity, complained that the checkpoints set up by various agencies were causing hardship for the tribal people who are totally dependent on flour and wheat brought from other areas.

Sources said in some cases the wheat and flour smugglers were conniving with those assigned with the task of stopping them.