SIALKOT-Punjab Minister for Minerals and Mines Chaudhry Sher Ali Khan has said that the provincial government has initiated effective measures to curb the role of middlemen to protect the rights of small wheat growers by ensuring direct purchase of wheat on the special directives of Punjab CM Shahbaz Sharif.
He stated this while talking to the wheat growers and newsmen after visiting several official wheat procurement centres in Sialkot, Daska, Sambrial, Pasrur, Zafarwal, Shakargarh and Baddo Malhi on Tuesday.
He inspected the quality of wheat yield and the process of issuance of gunny bags. He also listened to the complaints of wheat growers and issued on the spot directions for their early solution.
Sialkot DCO Iftikhar Ali Sahu, DOC Malik Abid Hussain Awan, Deputy Director Food Gujranwala Division Ch Naveed Ashraf, District Monitoring Officer (DMO) Aamir Raza, District Food Controller (DFC) Faisal Sharif and local traders and senior journalists were also present on the occasion.
The minister told the newsmen that there was a bumper wheat yield in the district during as per acre yield had jumped to 50 to 60 mounds per acre with thick wheat seeds during this season due to the conducive atmosphere in Sialkot district (a hub of producing best quality bumper wheat yield).
He said that the Punjab government had increased the official wheat procurement target in the district from 72,000 metric tonnes to 82,000 metric tonnes following bumper wheat yield.
While briefing the minister, DCO Iftikhar Ali Sahu informed that more than 1 million gunny bags had been issued to the small wheat growers and farmers in district so far. Meanwhile, the wheat harvesting is briskly underway and the transportation of wheat yield from fields to markets and to official wheat procurement centres is underway in district.