Punjab Government has prepared wheat procurement policy 2013-14 wherein the price Rs 1200 per 40 kg has been fixed while the initial procurement target proposed around 4 million tons.

Government has made consortium of NBP and Bank of Punjab to make funds arrangements. Thus they will arrange Rs 120 billion at the rate of 150 to 170 points as compared to last years Rs 85 billion at the rate of 225 points, sources told. The food department thus managed to save billions of rupees in this regard, they added.

All the private buyers will be at liberty to procure wheat while no restriction will be imposed on trade, movement within and outside the province. The wheat exporters will be allowed to procure crop in order to stabilise prices in the open market. Middlemen have not been allowed to sell wheat to Food Department while maximum 200 bags will be purchased to facilitate the small farmers.

The issuance of bardana will be commenced from mid of April while purchase will be started on April 20. Initially 50pc bardana will be issued within the first 15 days of procurement drive. The remaining 30pc will be issued within next 15 days and 20pc during the last 15 days. The bardana will be issued on the personal surety of Numberdar or gazetted officer up to 50 jute bags of 100 kgs or 100 PP bags of 50 Kgs.

Eight jute bags per acre will be issued to the growers but the total bags issued will not exceed the limit of 200 jute bags at one time. In case the entitlement is more than 200 jute bags then further bags will be issued to the farmers after bringing back the first consignment. Only director food or DCO concerned will be authorised to allow issuance of 500 jute bags or 1,000 PP bags in case of higher demand of bardana from a genuine grower.

After verification of the CNIC, the incharge centre will issue tokens for issuance of bardana and will cross the entry in Girdawri.Procurement drive will continue without any holiday or even Sundays and in order to redress complaints of the growers, Toll free numbers will be there at Food Secretariat, Directorate and Division levels.

District codes have been allotted to the districts as following and bardana having stencilled code will be distributed in the districts concerned. Bahawalpur is allotted code 2, DG Khan 5, Multan 8, Sahiwal 12, Faisalabad 17, Sargodha 22, Gujranwala 23, Lahore 28, Rawalpindi 32. If bardana having code other than the district code is found purchased, the district incharge and the center incharge will be responsible, it is clarified in the new policy.

Wheat will be purchased from attached villages from the procurement center, the policy said.The wheat supervisory committee at district level will consist of DCO, DPO, EDO (Agri), District Food Controller and Representatives of growers association. Likewise such committees will be formed at Tehsil and center level headed by Assistant Commissioner and Center Coordinator respectively.