LAYYAH: Making the procurement a whole-wheat affair, the authorities have deployed nutrition and health officials and teachers at 24 official wheat buying centres in the district.

The wheat crop has been cultivated on 442,000 acres in the district this year. Due to good quality seeds and excessive rains this year, a bumper crop was expected, said Khalid Khan, a progressive farmer.

As the wheat procurement is a two-month activity, the authorities used to hire temporary staff as daily wagers but this year, they chose to bind those related to nutrition, health and teaching for the job.

The Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation (Passco) is mandated with buying wheat in the Layyah tehsil. Passco has established 15 centres which are located in 120-TDA, Mian Bahadur, Hafizabad, Kot Sultan, Paharpur, Chak 173-TDA, Dhori Adda, Doratta, Sabowal, Chak 332-TDA, Chowk Azam, Lalazar, Ludhana and Chak 170-TDA.

The authorities chose nutrition supervisors and computer operators of the health department to carry out the buying activity.

The Punjab Food Department has established nine wheat procurement centres in Lal Essan Karor and Choubara tehsils which are in Fatehpur, Chak 217-TDA, Haider Shahwala, Tail Indus, Choubara, Sabirabad, Head Varreeri and Jamal Chapri. At these centres, IT teachers of education have been deployed.

Passco will buy 72 metric tonnes while the food department will procure 92,000 metric tonnes of wheat in their areas.

Educationist Shehzad Gul said the posting of teachers at wheat procurement centre was the violation of the chief minister’s scheme of “Parho Punjab, Barho Punjab”.

Samiullah, district president of the Farmers’ Association, is concerned at low target of the wheat this year.

“A low target will force the peasants to sell their yield in open market where the price is Rs350 less than the official rates,” he said.

Executive District Officer (education) Hidayatullah Shah said that he had requested the district government to withdraw teachers from the procurement of wheat duty. He said he was hopeful the district coordination officer would positively consider his request.

District Food Controller Fazal Daad said that as per the procurement policy, the food secretary had requested the DCO for temporary postings of the staff for the assistance and monitoring of wheat procurement.

The monitoring staff would also directly report from mobile phones to the Chief Minister’s Secretariat and the deputy director of the wheat procurement every day.

Published in Dawn, April 25th, 2015

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