Federal Minister for National food security & Research Sikander Hayat Khan Boson chaired the meeting of the committee constituted by the Speaker National Assembly. The committee was directed to discuss the alleged unfair distribution of bardana by PASSCO amongst growers during the wheat procurement campaign this year. The matter was raised in the floor of Assembly where few MNAs pronounced their complaints regarding the anomalies in the system of bardana distribution. PASSCO is a federal entity responsible on behalf of federal government for the procurement of wheat and also to ensure that the benefit of support price ultimately reaches to the growers.
MD PASSCO told the members present that the utmost care was taken to complete the process with transparency and for the benefit of growers; those who were reported for any kind of deviation from the prescribed rules, inquiries were ordered.
Federal Minister Sikander Boson reiterated the fact that we are striving for the amelioration and uplift of the farmers and it is one of our top most priorities and hence transparency is a basic requirement in this regard. And if pointed out; those who were responsible must be brought to justice and only then we could hope for better future for the farmers and hence for the agriculture. He further invited the worthy MNAs to bring forth ideas and suggestions to make things transparent and hoped that policy level change would further make things better. Besides, the Procurement incharges at distribution centers must not be given exceeding powers and their powers should be limited through the system of checks and balances. Federal Minister said that he is well aware of the problems and dilemma faced by the farmers especially after the harvest of wheat crop and we are striving to render better services for the growers.
The members of the committee put forward few of the proposals with certain emphasis on the performance of PASSCO. It was proposed that before the next procurement starts there must be meeting of the representatives of various stakeholders and there must also be a system of checks and balance on PASSCO.
The committee agreed under the chairmanship of the honorable Minister to further the cause of transparency; to address the problems of growers and to bring policy level change and also introduce a viable mechanism to get the procurement done smoothly.
To streamline the process of bardana distribution, following was agreed upon:
Both PASSCO and members of the committee of parliamentarians will develop their own process which will be shared in the meeting of the N.A. standing committee of NFS&R. After discussion a fool proof mechanism for bardana distribution will be arrived at in the meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee.
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