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HYDERABAD: Though Sindh has achieved the procurement target of 1.2 million
tons, storage of wheat still remains a problem for food authorities because of
absence of modern storage facilities, like silos.
Independent analysts said wheat production remained less than the previous year,
but the Sindh agriculture department says area of wheat cultivation as well as
its production increased in 2008-09.
As compared to the previous year, more area was brought under cultivation this
year, ie 4.20 per cent more than last year.
It estimates 3.84 per cent more production of wheat this year.
While the procurement target was achieved, procurement process didn’t remain
transparent as in many cases growers didn’t get gunny bags to sell wheat crop to
procurement centres.
There were reports that jute bags didn’t reach growers and the middleman took
them away. Until last week, 1,151,783 metric tons of wheat was procured, leaving
only a small quantity to be procured.
Growers said procurement procedure was made too cumbersome to ‘demoralise’ them
so that they may sell crop to businessmen at a lesser price.
There were complaints that abadgars didn’t get bags while businessmen were
having them on one a phone call.
‘We were required to produce form-7 of our land along with expected yield
estimates to be certified by the revenue and irrigation officials and only then
food department was ready to procure only one fourth of the total produce,’ said
Dr Nadeem Shah.
Reports indicate that growers did sell their crop at Rs870 per 40 kgs to the
middleman to avoid difficulties.
Food department officials also made deductions in the crop on the ground that it
was having extra moisture, causing disappointment among them to bring their crop
to procurement centres.
Existing storage capacity stands at around 575,000 tons which indicates that
wheat procurement has been doubled than the storage capacity.
The food department officials are trying to hire private warehouses for storing
wheat.
Recently harvested wheat crop is lying in the open in areas like Dadu,
Mirpurkhas and Sanghar that it vulnerable to different climatic conditions in
sweltering heat.
Wheat procurement begins at the taluka level where food department opens its
wheat procurement centres.
The jute bags are to be provided to wheat cultivator(s) who subsequently bring
harvest to procurement centres to get the support price which is Rs950 per
40kgs.
‘Around 60 per cent of wheat crop is lying in the open which is likely to be
damaged due to sizzling heat, climatic conditions and rains.
This is mainly because of the fact that we don’t have the required storage
capacity or modern capacity, like silos,’ said Abdul Majeed Nizamani, President,
Sindh Abadgar Board.
The SAB chief estimates losses to harvested crop to the extent of 15 per cent
even if it was stored in godowns.
‘It means that there would be a loss of Rs4.98 billion if 15 per cent loss of
wheat crop is estimated at 0.21 million metric tons,’ he said.
The cost of one metric ton stands at Rs23,750 given the support price of Rs950
per 40kgs announced by the government.
The losses could only be avoided if wheat is given to flour mills and chakki
owners otherwise losses are bound to take place. Deputy director food Gul
Mohammad claimed that storage problem is not as serious as it appears to be and
it would accordingly be handled by the department.
He added that there was some storage problem in Dadu where it was lying in the
open, but that was being secured properly. ‘Around 30,000 to 35,000 tons of
wheat will have to be kept in the open in Hyderabad region due to
non-availability of storage capacity,’ said the food official.
The Sindh food department had sought the help of SAB for making incomplete silos
project functional for which the board had sent its proposals after some of its
officials visited the site off Super Highway near Karachi and in return asked
for provision of its feasibility report and other related information so that it
could accordingly be discussed.
Out of 16 silos, 11 were built by the National Logistic Cell (NLC). The Sindh
government disowned the abandoned project worth Rs44 million while the food
department proposed to the government that conventional method of storing grain
in jute bags in godowns was cost-efficient while grain silos is a sophisticated
job for which the food department lacks expertise and funds.
It proposed that 11 partially built silos should be handed to Pakistan
Agriculture Storage and Supplies Corporation.
‘Even under existing storage capacity, we can’t store more than 500,000 tons and
that too under poor preservation conditions. This wheat crop should be forthwith
shifted to Karachi’s Pipri godowns to avoid damages due to rains that are
expected,’ observed a former provincial food director. |
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