LAHORE, April 5: The Punjab Food Department has denied the impression that preparations and arrangements for forthcoming wheat procurement are still incomplete. A spokesman of the department said that objectives of the wheat procurement were to facilitate growers and ensure delivery of minimum support price to them and sufficient arrangements had been made in a manner that growers all over the province shared the benefits.

He said that the Punjab Food Department would ensure every step for facilitation of wheat growers in terms of gunny bags, immediate payment of their produce and storage of procured stocks and there was no conflict of opinion at any level in the tiers of the provincial government.

It was further clarified that wheat procurement would begin from April 20, 2006, like yesteryears and continue till the marketable surplus was accommodated in public and private sectors.—PR