Punjab govt yet to 'decide' on wheat procurement

LAHORE: The government of Punjab has not made a decision on wheat procurement yet, ARY News reported citing sources within the Food Department.

According to sources, a meeting of the cabinet committee on wheat procurement will be held again today. After the meeting, talks will be held with farmers to address their concerns, the sources added.

On the other hand, farmer leader Sultan Javed said that the deadline for the decision is tomorrow, and an announcement about the future course of action will also be announced tomorrow, sources said.

He welcomed Prime Minister Shehbaz’s decision to increase the target of wheat procurement. “We hope the Punjab government will also make a similar announcement soon,” Sultan Javed added.

Yesterday, taking strict action on the complaints of farmers, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed the federal government to immediately purchase wheat from farmers.

PM Shehbaz also increased the target of wheat procurement from 1.4 million metric tons to 1.8 million metric tons, the statement released by PM Office said.

Prime Minister’s decision is expected to benefit thousands of farmers across the country and provide them with a stable income, the statement added.

The prime minister’s decision was welcomed by the farming community, who have been facing difficulties due to delayed wheat procurement in recent years, it added.

It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan imported one billion US dollars’ wheat in first nine months of the current financial year, citing PBS sources.

The country imported 3.4 million tonnes of wheat from July to March during the ongoing fiscal year, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) sources said.