NAUSHAHRO FEROZE, April 25: The government has set a 1.7 million tonne wheat procurement target for this year out of which district Naushahro Feroze’s target is 94,000 tonnes, says Adviser to Sindh Chief Minister on Food and Agriculture Ghulam Murtaza Khan Jatoi.

Mr Jatoi told a meeting of growers, union council nazims and officials of Food and Agriculture Department at the Committee Room of district government on Tuesday that the target would be raised if the growers had wheat in excess of it.

The adviser suspended Food Inspector Khadim Hussain Khariro on growers’ complaints that he had supplied gunnysacks meant for them to traders, and directed the district food controller to conduct an inquiry into the charges against the inspector.

The adviser to the chief minister asked the food officials to show the committee documents proving that the people who were given gunnysacks were genuine growers.

District Nazim Ghulam Rasool Khan Jatoi directed the food officials to give the remaining 20 per cent gunnysacks to the growers.

District food controller later told the newsmen the department had bought 661,000 wheat bags, and already distributed 845,000 gunnysacks out of 949,000.

EDO agriculture said that the district had a total of 1338 watercourses out of which 587 had been lined in the past. Out of the remaining 751 watercourses, 31 had already been lined and 50 would be completed by June 30.