ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on National Food Security has recommended the government to increase wheat procurement target of Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation (Passco).

In a meeting on Monday, Passco Managing Director Tariq Masud informed the committee that a summary to increase the target from 0.8 million tonnes to 1.5m tonnes has been sent to the Economic Coordination Committee of the Cabinet for apporval.

The standing committee headed by Malik Shakir Bashir Awan also recommended that Passco’s Rs67m receivables should be paid by state-run agencies.

Masud said that Passco was close to meet its wheat procurement target while it had issued 100 per cent bardana (jute bags) to the farmers.

Passco has 12 zones, 33 projects and 227 purchase centres in the country through which wheat and other specified agro-based commodities are being procured, he said.

Its total storage capacity is 0.431m tonnes and is planning to establish 20 new storages in the future.

The committee also suggested that silos should be constructed instead of warehouses, and procurement should be made by Passco that would lead to cut in the purchase of bardana.

The standing committee also discussed the status of tractor manufacturing in the country and decided to hold a specific meeting in this regard.

Published in Dawn, May 26th, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play