RAHIM YAR KHAN, June 1: The Punjab Food Department has achieved only 53 per cent of the wheat procurement target for the district, while Passco has touched just 60 per cent of the same in Khanpur tehsil as the harvesting season ends. The Food department had set a target of 1.5 million wheat bags to be procured in three tehsils of the district. For this purpose, six procurement centres were set up in Rahim Yar Khan, nine in Sadiqabad and eight centres in Liaqatpur. In Khanpur tehsil, Passco had to procure 0.8 million wheat bags.

The Food department has been able to procure only 803,750 wheat bags in the three tehsils, while Passco procured only 455,000 bags by May 30.

District Food Controller Umar Farooq Alvi told Dawn that despite a good wheat yield in the district, the procurement target could not be achieved as the farmers were offered better price for the crop by private buyers against the rate fixed by the government.

He elaborated that flour mill owners bought the wheat at Rs410 to Rs415 per mound, while seed corporations offered up to Rs430 for the same.