ATTOCK, April 18 The Punjab food department has established six wheat procurement centres in the district, the district food controller`s office said here on Saturday.

While elaborating the wheat purchase arrangements by the department, they said that the procurement centres had been established at different points of the district.

The centres, set up to discourage middlemen`s role, would purchase the wheat throughout the week, including Sundays directly from the farmers. Wheat procurement process in the district would continue till June, they said.

Out of six procurement centres, two are in Attock, and one each in Fatehjang, Jand, Pindigheb and Hasanabdal tehsils. The payment to the growers would be made through bank, they said.

The complaint cells to address the growers grievances had been set up at the respective tehsil food offices and district food controllers Attock.

The food department will purchase the commodity from the growers at Rs950 per 40 kg , besides paying them Rs7.50 per 100 kg as handling and delivery charges and providing them empty sacks, they said.

APP adds

The farmers have started harvesting their wheat crop in the Rawalpindi division amid big hopes of high yield.

The continuous spells of rains have delayed the harvesting season for a few days but now it is in full swing.

The farmers busy in harvesting about were of the view that the yield would be better this year than the past year.