A meeting with Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the chair on Tuesday approved wheat procurement policy of the Punjab government for the current year. The meeting decided to procure/purchase four million tonnes of wheat at the rate of Rs1300 per mound in the current year.

Addressing the meeting, the CM said that in the wheat procurement campaign gunny bags will be provided to the farmers at their doorsteps. He expressed the hope that this unique initiative will tremendously benefit the small farmers. He directed that a transparent and foolproof system should be devised to provide gunny bags to the farmers at their doorstep. He said that direct provision of gunny bags to the farmers is an important step which will eliminate the role of middleman.

Shehbaz directed that this initiative should be implemented in letter and spirit adding that gunny bags will be distributed through a transparent and purely merit-based system.

The Punjab government will provide every possible facility to the small farmers during this campaign and such a system has to be devised to provide maximum relief to them. He said that process of distribution of gunny bags will be started from mid of April and directed that various facilities including tents, fans and cold drinking water should be arranged at wheat procurement centre for the visiting farmers. He made it clear that posting of corrupt staff at procurement centre will not be tolerated at any cost. –Staff Reporter

 The provincial ministers, advisors and secretaries will visit procurement centre of the districts allocated to them. He said that protection of rights of small farmers will be ensured at every cost and complaint cells will be established at tehsil, division and provincial levels.

Ministers Rana Sanaullah, Malik Nadeem Kamran, Bilal Yasin, Ayesha Ghaus Pasha, Naeem Akhtar Bhabha, Adviser Dr Umar Saif, chief secretary, senior member board of revenue, concerned secretaries and high officials attended the meeting.