OKARA, May 14: The local food department is employing 'unusual tactics' to achieve the target of 1.9 million bags of wheat, which seems next to impossible keeping in view the market trend.

Official record says the district has so far procured 800,000 wheat bags (100kg each) and it may not exceed more than 900,000 bags.

To get closer to the target, the district administration has already withheld bank assistance for the flour mills across the Punjab and cancelled permits of the mills. Wheat is currently being purchased from Rs350 to Rs355 in the open market.

According to reports, the average of wheat yield per acre this year was lower than the last year's because of high temperatures in March. Although the crop was ready for harvesting two weeks earlier, the food department and Passco did not act in time and delayed the purchase. However, the private buyers and mills engaged themselves in the process and offered higher prices to the growers for their produce.

The delay in crushing by sugar mills had already affected the cultivation of wheat. The mills started crushing season in the last week of November till then sufficient area was not available for wheat.

A food department official told this correspondent on Friday that the growers were unwilling to offer their wheat to the government for various reasons. "We must understand the common trader's behaviour to achieve our target."

The department, he said, had now established pickets at the entrances to the city where wheat vehicles were forced to go to the food department only.