PESHAWAR, Jun 06 (APP): Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Food, Zahir Shah Toru Thursday said the government has procured high quality wheat adopting a flawless and corruption free purchasing procedure.

He expressed these views in a meeting on the completion of wheat procurement target 2024. The meeting was also attended by Advisor on Information and Public Relations Barrister Dr. Muhammad Ali Saif, Secretary Food, Zarif Al-Maani, Director of Food, Yasir Hassan and other relevant officials.

The meeting was told that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government introduced online application to ensure transparency and efficiency in wheat procurement. Local farmers of KP and other provinces were registered through the app and wheat was procured on a first-come and first-served basis.

The meeting was informed that 22 procurement centers across the province were monitored through CCTV cameras and a five-member committee was formed to assess the quality of wheat.

This committee was included representatives from District and Assistant Food Controllers, District Administration, Agriculture, Revenue Department, Flour Mills Association, as well as officials from NAB and Anti-Corruption as observers.
Secretary food told that nine officers had been suspended for violating rules and regulations, and inquiries against them are underway.

Food minister commended the successful procurement and stated that the campaign enhanced food security and economic activities in KP.

He directed the relevant officials to develop a procurement strategy based on current year campaign to ensure a comprehensive plan for future wheat procurement.

Advisor Barrister Dr. Saif appreciated the efforts of Food Department for completing wheat procurement process in a transparent way and said that our efforts resulted in low prices of wheat benefiting the underprivileged.