GUJRANWALA, Dec 7 The Gujranwala Chamber of Commerce and Industry has expressed its anguish over the 'smuggling' of stainless steel sheets, coil and other items through Afghan transit and demanded of the government to get it stopped immediately.

At a meeting held here on Monday with chamber president Khalid Mehmood Chadha in the chair, the participants, including representatives of All Pakistan Stainless Steel Importers and Traders Association, said the smuggling had severely damaged the local industry.

They demanded of the federal government to take effective steps to stop the smuggling of these items at the earliest.

PROCUREMENT Federal Food and Agricultural Minister Nazar Muhammad Gondal has said that the government will buy every grain of paddy from growers at the fixed price of Rs1,250 per 40kg and set up as many as 68 procurement centres in Punjab, five in Sindh and at least seven in Balochistan for the purpose.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of a procurement centre at Wazirabad on Monday, he said the government had fixed one million ton procurement target for paddy and procured 35,000 ton so far.

He assured the growers that net payment would be made at procurement centres to those who would sell up to 500 maunds paddy.

The growers who would sell excess quantity of paddy would be paid in installments.

He said the government was aware of difficulties of farmers and providing them with better facilities. PASSCO officials were also present on the occasion.