DADU, May 16: The registration of nine pesticide companies has been cancelled and cases have been registered against them on the charges of selling spurious pesticide.

This was said by Sindh minister for agriculture, livestock and fisheries, Hassan Ali Chanhio, while talking to Nazims, Naib Nazims, councillors and government officials here on Thursday.

He directed the food officials to provide gunny bags to growers to purchase wheat through the taluka Nazims.

He warned that if the food officials did not provide gunny bags to small growers according to the government policy and sold it to traders and landlords illegally, they would be suspended and cases would be registered against them.

He said that the target of wheat procurement was fixed at 400,000 tons in Sindh during the current season.

He said stocks of 700,000 tons of wheat were lying at the godowns of the food department in the province.

Later, the Sindh minister held a meeting with Dadu District Nazim Malik Asad Sikandar at the circuit house.

The district Nazim informed him that a huge quantity of wheat was lying in the open sky in different parts of the district and demanded that the government should increase the target of wheat procurement.

He also informed the minister that three talukas of Dadu district were facing drought-like condition and the government should declare them calamity-affected areas.

The minister directed the revenue officials to conduct survey and send him report about the drought-hit areas.

SNATCHED: A motorcycle was snatched by three armed robbers on the Indus Highway near Mehar town on Wednesday night.