LAHORE - The political uncertainty in the Punjab province, the mainstay of country's agriculture, is multiplying the worries of farmers as the wheat procurement season is approaching fast with bureaucracy least interested in ensuring transparency during the procurement campaign. The growers' community feared that the middlemen and agents in connivance with the officials of Food Department would take advantage of the situation to deprive them of their rights. The government had fixed Rs 950 per 40-kg as the wheat procurement price but the middlemen in connivance with the Food Department officials would not pay the right price to the growers. "Under present political situation in Punjab the top officials of Food Department are not sure whether they should remain more loyal to the Governor Punjab, a businessman with no interest in agriculture," Shamshad Ali, President Small Farmers Organisation commented. He further said that the farmers would not get the right price of their produce if only the bureaucracy would be given the task to supervise the forthcoming wheat procurement campaign in the province. He also said that the fate of the top officials of the Food Department is hanging in the balance after the recent political developments. Ramzan Rafique an agriculturist, when contacted, said that they were expecting bumper crop in the province this year when the price of wheat is falling in the international market. "I think that the irresponsible attitude of the bureaucracy would multiply the miseries of the growers like what they experienced during rice crop," he added. He was of the view that if the government did not take immediate steps to ensure transparency in the wheat procurement campaign, the growers would not get the right price of their produce. Chairman Agri Forum Pakistan Ibrahim Mughal said that the Punjab Food Department so far has not completed the procedure of wheat procurement in consultation with the representatives of growers' community. "It seemed that the Food Department is deliberately using delaying tactics to benefit the agents and middlemen so that they could purchase wheat from farmers at low price against the fixed price of Rs 950 per 40-kg," he added. He said that the representatives of growers are repeatedly trying to contact the Director Food Punjab to finalise the wheat procurement arrangements but he is unwilling to meet the members of growers' community. He also feared that the farmers would not be able to get the right price of their produce this time due to the irresponsible attitude of the officials of Food Department. He also informed that the wheat procurement season is approaching fast but the officials of the Food Department are not serious to redress the grievances of the growers. Ibrahim Mughal also demanded that the Food Department should finalise the procedure of wheat procurement in consultation with the growers as early as possible so that the wheat procurement target could be achieved. Sardar Zafar Hussain, President Kisan Board Pakistan said that the Food Department should start wheat procurement in Rajanpur and Rahim Yar districts on April 1st instead of April 15, as the wheat crop in these areas is all set to harvest. He further said that the delay would help benefit the middlemen to exploit the situation and purchase the produce from growers at low price. Meanwhile, Secretary Food Punjab Mohammad Irfan Elahi has said that arrangements for wheat procurement campaign 2009 are being finalized while the supply of gunny bags would be completed by the end of this month. He said that wheat procurement campaign would start from April 15 as before. He said that District Coordination Officers have been directed to constitute special procurement committees at all 354 procurement centers in the province to ensure complete transparency in the campaign. He said that these committees would comprise representatives of MPAs, District Nazims, farmers and the local Numberdars. It is interesting to mention here that the MPAs are busy in resolving their own issues here in the provincial metropolis these days due to the political wrangling in the absence of democratic government in the province.