KARACHI: The provincial government, under the supervision of Sindh chief minister Qaim Ali Shah, has decided to buy the fresh wheat crop from growers at the highest market rate of Rs1,300 per 40 kg.
The decision was taken during a meeting of the ministerial sub-committee for food. Members of the meeting included finance minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, health minister Jam Mehtab Dahar, excise and taxation minister Giyan Chand Essrani, food secretary Saeed Awan, finance secretary Sohail Rajput and director food Muhammad Bachal Rahpoto.
It was decided that wheat procurement centres will be opened in Hyderabad and Mirpurkhas divisions from March 15 to supply gunny bags to growers while a new window with a six-month bank guarantee will sell surplus wheat to traders on subsidised rate of Rs3,250 per maund.
Keeping in view of recession in the international market, members of the meeting recommended to the federal government to keep its export offer of $45 per ton intact, till prices went up globally.
The food secretary Saeed Awan while briefing the meeting said out of 890,000 tons of surplus wheat with the government, 46,000 tons had been sold.
He said, a deal to dispose of 400,000 tons of wheat on a six-month bank credit was about to be finalised. He said Karachi needed between 1.5 and 2 million tons of wheat in a month and by the end of April and beginning of May, around four million tons more will be disposed of.
