MULTAN, April 8: The local revenue department has chalked out a plan to maximise its collections during the months of April and May though the growers are yet to harvest wheat.

A meeting of the revenue department was held here on Monday with district officer (revenue) Qazi Ishfaq Ahmed in the chair. According to an official handout, the DO(R) directed the subordinate revenue officers to strike immediately to recover dues like agriculture income tax, local rate, water rate and other levies from the growers as they were to harvest the rabi crop.

He stressed that revenue collection should be maximum during the months of April and May. He directed the revenue officials to issue notices to the defaulters for payment of their dues. In case of non-compliance of the notices, crops of the defaulters be confiscated. He warned the officials with dire consequences if they failed in meeting their recovery targets.

Most of the growers raise their crop after borrowing for inputs. The wheat harvest drive usually picks up from April 15. It comes to market in the last week of April after undergoing thrashing and husking process.

Last year, market saw a glut of the commodity to as late as in the month of July in the absence of any buyer ready to procure the commodity on official support price of Rs 300 per 40kg. Consequently, the growers had to sell their produce at a throwaway price to retire their dues.

Revenue department and Agriculture Development Bank of Pakistan officials normally launch their recovery drives before the harvest and practically serve the cause of market exploiters by forcing the growers to pay their dues at any cost. The growers are left with no choice except to sell their produce against lower prices.