Govt enhances wheat procurement target to 1.4m MT

F.P. Report

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to enhance wheat procurement target to 1.4 million metric tonne for the 2022-23 in order to overcome shortfall and efficiently fulfill wheat requirements of the province.
Briefing media persons about the cabinet’s decisions, Special Assistant to Chief Minister on Information Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif said that cabinet which met with Chief Minister Mahmood Khan in the chair on Tuesday decided to increase the procurement of wheat by 0.2% metric tonne.
He said that procurement of wheat would be completed in two phases, costing Rs 2559 million.
“If we cannot get wheat from Punjab, we will go to the Pakistan Agricultural Storage & Services Corporation (PASSCO) and Trading Corporation of Pakistan to achieve the set target,” he observed.
However, he added that the food department had assured that there would be no shortage of wheat in the province.
Giving details, he added earlier the target stood at 1.2 metric tons but now it had been raided 1.4 metric tonnes for the year 2022-23.
He said that wheat would also be delivered to flour mills in May, June and July this year.
He said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to launch Insaf Food Card to provide Rs2,100 per month for flour and other food items to the one million poorest of the poor families in the province. He said the project would be started from July and will cost about Rs26 billion.
He said food card would provide food security to 12.5 percent population of the province.
Giving details, he added that beneficiaries would get the assistance on the basis of Ehsas program data, adding the government has decided not to become part of Benazir Income Support Program as the PTI government has learnt that some undeserving people are being included in this program.
He however said that all programs under Ehsas program would continue in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and no public welfare program in the province would be stopped.
The Cabinet has approved allotment of 268 Canal lands of the Endowment Department in Abbottabad to the Sports Department for construction of Sports Complex.
It has also approved draft law on tenure of employees of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Settlement Operations and Revenue Academy.
The Cabinet has extended the Memorandum of Understanding for rehabilitation and reconstruction of TDPs in the merged districts till June 2023.
This project would complete the ongoing projects for construction of roads, bridges, schools, establishment of laboratories, medical centers, improvement of medical equipment and facilities, Barrister Saif added.