Govt To Raise Warehouses' Wheat Storage Capacity To 0.6m Tons

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government was planing to raise the capacity of wheat storage warehouses upto 600,000 tons aimed at providing edible at affordable rates even in the crisis-like situations.

PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Oct, 2018 ) :Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government was planing to raise the capacity of wheat storage warehouses upto 600,000 tons aimed at providing edible at affordable rates even in the crisis-like situations.

"Presently, the storage accommodation with KP is 0.400 million tons, which would be raised to 0.6 million in accordance Planning Commission of Pakistan's decision taken in the wake of wheat crisis in the country in 2008," a senior official in Food Department told APP on Wednesday.

Under 100 days plan, the KP Government has formulated a comprehensive food policy to increase wheat and other agricultural production by giving special incentives to growers and farmers to cater food requirements of an ever growing population.

Under the policy, the Government would purchase wheat stock directly from growers to provide them full economic and financial benefits. Any farmer or grower producing at least 500 tons wheat would take benefit from this policy and would get maximum profit compare to open market.

This policy would help end commission culture and role of middle man and all growers would get direct financial benefits under this policy prepared by previous PTI government after consultation with all stakeholders.

KP is a wheat deficient province and is prone to crisis like situations in case of any disruption in smooth flow of supply of the commodity and its products from Punjab province. The official said the province's normal wheat requirement is about 4.421 million tons against which about 1.134 million tons are being produced locally, leaving a shortfall of 3.287 million tons per annum.

To cater people's requirements, the Food Department is planning to construct new warehouses and make expansion in already established godowns to store additional 0.821 million tons in the province.

To achieve food department's targets, food grains godowns at Swat, Batagram and Abbottabad would be built. The KP Govt has allocated Rs472 million for 18 projects out of which 13 are ongoing with allocation of 322 million and five new projects with allocation of 150 millions during fiscal year 2018-19.

The KP government will capitalize on the good work of former PTI government by expending network of godwons and strengthening of infrastructure at districts level for better service delivery.

The PTI government, during last five years, has constructed five godwons with storage capacity of 1000 ton in Karak besides increasing storage capacity in already established godwon in Buner, Swabi, Kohat, Bannu, Mardan, Manshera, Batagram and Chitral districts.

The Department has purchased 25 kanal in Chitral and 32 kanal in Tank for expansion in the established godowns.

It has also purchased land for construction of godwon on additional 10 kanals in Shangla, 15 canal for godwon in Torghar and five kanal in Kohistan besides established offices of district food controllers at Tank, DI Khan, Hangu, Peshawar, Charsadda, Nowshera, Mardan, Abbottabad, Haripur, Kohistan, Swat, Dir Lower, Chitral, Malakand and Mardan.

The storage capacity of 5000ton wheat godwons in nine districts were increased from 0.35million tons to 0.4 million besides started work on different schemes for construction of godowns with storage capacity of 28000 tons in Tank, Bannu, Hangu and Peshawar.

In additional to establishment of food directorate, the department has completed construction work on offices of districts food controllers in 19 districts besides building up residential apartments for employees of food department in five districts of the province.

The Food Department's budget during 2013-18 was only 1661.171 million was jumped to record 3036.711 million during five years tenure of PTI Govt in KP.

To ensure transparency, the Department has used fund of Food Account-II in 2017 by giving payment to growers through Bank of Khyber that saved an additional Rs100 million to the provincial kitty besides making Rs50.927 million earning.

As result of these positive measures, not a single kilogram atta (flour) shortage has been reported from any area of the province during last five years rule of PTI Govt and people get flour at reasonable rate.