MULTAN   -   Food department has started wheat procurement as 1,84,000 metric ton wheat procurement target set for Multan district this year.

District Food Controller (DFC) Ahmad Javed while talking to APP here on Wednesday said that the gunny bags were being distributed among wheat growers under open policy at 17 wheat procurement centers and they had distributed one lac bags out of total 1.8 million gunny bags.

Likewise, they have procured 40,000 wheat bags till yesterday. He further said that the wheat was being procured from growers on Rs 2200 per mound rate fixed by the government. He further said that the drive would continue till achieving the set targets.

Mr Ahmed Javed said that the all possible arrangements had been made to facilitate the wheat growers and strict monitoring was also being ensured.

The payment to growers was being made through nearby banks attached with wheat procurement centers without any delay, he said.

15-day training programme on shrimps farming

A fifteen-day training program to build farmers’ capacity on shrimps farming and promote the profitable and delicious seafood across the country concluded here Wednesday.

Shrimps cluster development project, a segment of Prime Minister’s National Agriculture Emergency Program, was launched by Punjab government and fisheries development board, ministry of national food security and research under the PSDP and is aimed at  bringing Lacs of acres of saline land under profitable utilization in the country.

Director General south Punjab fisheries Dr. Zahid Sharif was the chief guest at the concluding session while project manager Maratib Ali Awan, assistant director training Dr. Imdadullah Salaar, assistant director Imdad Qureshi and farmers’ representative Iqbal Aarbi were also present.

The participating farmers were provided training at a local hotel that began on Mar 23 and received their certificates along with bags, shirts and caps on the concluding day.

Dr. Zahid Sharif said that 15-day training has been completed and it will help farmers embark on a new business activity that can contribute significantly in expanding the national economy.

This training would be extended to farmers in all the saline land areas of the country, he said adding that these areas were most suitable for the shrimps and fish culture.

Dr. Zahid also explained the role of fisheries development board (FDB) in promotion of shrimp farming. He said that aqua culture has a dominating role in human history and has become more important as blue economy in this age of globalisation.