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CM resents inefficiency of food dept staff -
Wheat crisis
KARACHI, April 30:
Chief Minister Sardar Ali Mohammad Mahar has
expressed his dissatisfaction over the performance
of Food Department, and ordered action against its
inefficient staff. He also ordered action wheat
hoarders indulged in profiteering.
While presiding over a meeting at the CM's House
here on Thursday, Mr Mahar directed the Food
Department officials to take all necessary
measures to ensure availability of wheat and flour
at reasonable prices throughout Sindh.
The meeting was called to review the wheat stock
position in the province. Food Minister Arif
Mustafa Jatoi was present at the meeting. The CM
impressed upon the concerned staff to put in all
efforts to achieve the wheat procurement target
and ensure payment to growers of the price fixed
by the government.
It may be mentioned here that the Sindh cabinet in
a meeting in February, had approved wheat
procurement price at Rs350 per maund and fixed the
procurement target at 600,000 tonnes.
The meeting, while discussing wheat crisis, had
attributed the situation to mismanagement and
embezzlement of wheat stocks. Later, some 20
officials of the Food Department had been
interrogated.
At the Thursday's meeting, the chief minister
stressed the need for improving performance of the
department through an effective and better
coordination in order to overcome the crisis.
He told the meeting that if the situation did not
improve and the wheat procurement target was not
met, the government would consider importing one
million tonnes of wheat to avert any crisis in
future.
The CM maintained that the province should have a
wheat stock of at least 1.2 million tonnes. The
meeting was informed that the provincial
requirement of wheat was estimated at 4.2 million
tonnes whereas its production this year was
expected be better with estimates put at around
2.2 million tonnes. The remaining quantity would
have to be either acquired from Punjab or
imported.
The food secretary informed the meeting that
traders had been extended loans amounting to
Rs3.12 billion by the National Bank at a mark up
of three per cent to facilitate the procurement of
wheat from different places in Sindh.
However, he claimed, instead of marketing the
wheat, the traders resorted to hoarding. He
referred to a handout and maintained that flour
millers were also hoarding wheat, thus creating an
artificial crisis.
The secretary said that all out efforts were being
made to procure maximum possible wheat. Chief
Secretary Dr Mutawakkil Kazi attributed the wheat
crisis to the last year's shortfall in production.
He suggested that the federal government should
chalk out a comprehensive policy keeping in view
the wheat requirement of all the four provinces so
that a crisis could be avoided.
The DAWN
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Pakissan.com; Advisory Point
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