SAHIWAL: The Punjab food department will procure 4.07 million tonnes of wheat from the growers belonging to the three district of Sahiwal division.

Food department Deputy Director Amir Muhammad told Dawn that the wheat would be procured at 43 wheat collection centres set up in the three districts -- Okara, Pakpattan and Sahiwal -- adding that the procurement drive would be launched in the third week of April and continue till the end of June. He said the wheat would be purchased at Rs2,200 per 40kg, the support price announced by Punjab government.

He said around four million gunny bags would be given to farmers for wheat collection.

In this connection, the farmers have been asked to get registered with the procurement centres set up in their respective area.

Shamsul Hasan, District Food Controller (DFC), says around 1.5m tonnes, 1.8m tonnes and 0.77m tonnes of wheat would be purchased by the department from Sahiwal, Okara and Pakpattan districts, respectively.

“For the purpose, 20, 15 and 8 wheat procurement centres are operational in Okara, Sahiwal and Pakpattan districts, respectively,” the DFC says.

Commissioner Ali Bahadur Qazi says all operational arrangements have been made for the launch of the wheat procurement drive and the government is committed to buy all the yield from growers.

He says the officials of the food department and the district government are monitoring the wheat procurement drive and no middle man will be allowed to exploit the growers.

Published in Dawn, March 30th, 2022