ISLAMABAD Pakistan Agriculture Storage and Services Corporation (PASSCO) and Sindh Food Department have provided about 63.8 tons sacks (bardana) to wheat growers in order to facilitate them to sale their produces on official fixed rates. Both the organizations have set up their procurement centres across the province to initiate wheat procurement campaign for year 2019-20, said Food Security Commissioner Dr Imtiaz Ahmed Gopang. Talking to APP here Thursday, he said that during current procurement drive about 8.25 million tons of wheat to be procured. He said that PASSCO has established its procurement centre in Tando Allah Yar and provided 23.80 tons of bardana to growers of these areas. Meanwhile, the Sindh Food department had also provided 40 tons of sacks to the wheat farmers of Mirpur Khass areas, he added. The Food Security Commissioner informed that this year an amount of Rs 288.75 billion would be spent on wheat procurement, adding that, KP and Balochistan will utilize their own financial resources for wheat procurement. However, total cost of wheat is estimated @ Rs. 288.75 billion. During current procurement drive, the Punjab would procure about 4.500 million tons of wheat with financial impact of Rs 157.50 billion and Sindh to procure 1.400 million tons costing Rs49 billion, he added. On the other hand the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was tasked to store 0.450 million tons of grains and Balochistan 0.100 million tons tons respectively with total financial limits of Rs 15.75 billion and Rs 13.50 billion, he remarked. The Commissioner said that according to International Grains Council world market prices of Hard Red Winter Wheat (HRW) are currently at US$ 238 per ton, whereas US No. 2 Soft Red Winter Wheat (SRW) is at US$ 250 per ton.—APP
