VEHARI, April 25: Wheat growers have complained that they are not being provided the required number of gunny bags at procurement centres set up by the food department.

Some of them have sent written applications to the Multan deputy director about the situation in the district.

Some of the affected growers, including Mian Qamar Qureshi, Ejaz Joya, Mazhar Qureshi, Malik Irshad, Qutab Din, Nazar Langrial, Murtaza Konal, Malik Mumtaz, Imtiaz Ali, Bahadur Ali and others, belonged to Luddan, Ratta Tibba, Maulvi Waha, Faiz Waha and other areas.

They told this correspondent on Wednesday that hundreds of tonnes of wheat had been lying in the fields as they were unable to transport it to procurement centres because of non-availability of gunny bags.

They said because of the gunny bags shortage a majority of them sold their wheat to the middlemen at the rate of Rs390 to Rs400 per 40 kilograms.

They alleged that in Luddan, Bini Shell (Pir Murad) PR Centre, Mian Pakhi, Machiwal centres gunny bags were only being provided to the influential people or middlemen after receiving bribe. The food department officials were ignoring the small growers, they added.

They said the situation was brought to the notice of the authorities concerned but to no avail and demanded that their problem should be solved.

According to some growers of Luddan, the food department officials provided the bags to the traders for Rs10 per bag. They alleged that traders have stocked the wheat and purchasing from the poor growers at lower rate than fixed by the Punjab government - Rs425 per 40 kgs.

According to food department insiders, a chain of corruption has developed from the district to ministry level. The officers in the ministry got their share through the DFC. However, DFC Abdul Hafeez Khan denied the allegation.

He told this correspondent that there was no shortage of gunny bags in the district. He claimed that department had issued more than 50,000 gunny bags to the growers in the last few days at the rate of 200 bags per grower.

He admitted that some traders were purchasing wheat from the growers. He claimed that some traders have purchased gunny bags from the markets.

He said eight procurement centres had been set up in Vehari tehsil. However, in Burewala and Mailsi, Pasco would purchase wheat.

It is learnt that Pasco has not yet set up any centre in those cities.

When contacted, no one received call from Vehari Pasco Office.