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Plea to lift ban on wheat movement
SUKKUR, April 29:
Growers of the interior of Sindh have condemned
the ban on the movement of wheat in the Sukkur
region and demanded the lifting of the ban.
According to the food department, the ban was
imposed, so as growers could sell wheat to floor
mills and the food department in their respective
districts.
After the ban, officials of food department have
impounded several truckload of wheat in the Sukkur
region, and were forcibly unloading trucks at
their procurement centres. The district nazim of
Sukkur has under section 144 prohibited the
movement and transportation of wheat only out of
Sukkur district to other districts through rail,
road, river or other means of transportation.
Information collected in this connection revealed
that Sukkur district was given the target of
2,00,000 bags of wheat procurement, out of which
only 20,000 bags of wheat have been procured so
far, therefore, the district nazim has imposed a
ban on the movement of wheat from outside the
Sukkur district.
In this regard Dawn has learnt that, the wheat
procurement target for the Sukkur region was fixed
at 35,00,000 bags, out of which only 800,000 bags
of wheat have been procured as yet, and the reason
behind this is private dealers who are purchasing
wheat from Rs.370 to Rs.380 per maund, while the
government is purchasing wheat at Rs.350 per maund.
Food director Tanveer Qureshi said that besides
the flour mill owners, cotton and rice mill owners
were also purchasing wheat. He said that they have
taken heavy loans from the commercial banks, and
they are investing this amount over the purchase
of wheat, instead of their own mill, and the
government was discouraging these elements.
Growers claimed that the cheques issued to them by
the food department, after the procurement of
wheat, are not honoured on time, while the private
purchasers give us cash payment, with an increase
of Rs.30 per maund. They also alleged that weights
of the food department were not accurate.
Growers have demanded that the food department
should take efforts for the procurement of wheat
at its own 100 procurement centres. They also
demanded to the government to immediately lift the
ban over the movement of wheat throughout the
Sindh province.
It may be mentioned here that the Punjab
government have also banned the movement of wheat
and have announced that the ban will continue till
the target of procurement is achieved.
The DAWN
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Pakissan.com; Advisory Point
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