KP to start wheat procurement from THIS Date

The government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) says it will begin procuring 225,000 tons of wheat directly from farmers from 20 May, according to the provincial finance advisor Muzammil Aslam.

The Finance Advisor of KP has further stated that the provincial government would purchase wheat at Rs. 3500 per mound from farmers, adding that payment will be made to farmers within 24 hours of procurement.

He also warned the government of Punjab against blocking transport routes, saying such a move would violate Article 151 of Pakistan’s Constitution.

Muzammil Aslam said that if routes were blocked by the Punjab government, the KP government would seek federal approval to import wheat instead.

He stressed that the provincial administration intended to fill all government storage facilities with wheat stocks this season.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah chaired a meeting that reviewed wheat procurement and directed concerned authorities to speed up the process to achieve set targets within time.

Food Minister Makhdoom Mehboob uz Zaman in briefing to the chief minister informed that only 8,958 tons of wheat had so far been procured across Sindh. Murad Ali Shah expressed concern over the pace of procurement and instructed the food department to accelerate operations.

The provincial cabinet has fixed a wheat procurement target of one million tons and set the support price at Rs3,500 per 40kg.

Minister said that fixing five bags per acre for small farmers, has been the major cause of the slow procurement.