Sources told Dawn that they were not only pressurising Passco to buy their crop but also hire their rice mills for husking purposes.

Most of these agriculturists, including a federal minister from Okara and a former minister for state from Khenewal, belonged to southern Punjab, the sources said.

Talking to Dawn after a press conference here on Thursday, Federal Minister for Food and Agriculture Nazar Muhammad Gondal admitted that there was political pressure over paddy procurement.

He said the procurement drive couldn’t be made 100 per cent transparent, but his ministry was vigilant to check corruption.

Earlier, the minister told newsmen that Passco had established 50 procurement centres and hired 120 mills for rice husking.

He said the federal cabinet had recently approved a plan for procurement of paddy through Passco and provincial food departments.

The government would procure one million tons of Basmati rice at Rs1,250 and Irri-6 at Rs600 per 40 kg.