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Passco starts

procurement of

graded potato

LAHORE: Pakistan Agricultural Storage Corporation (Passco) has started procurement of graded potato from the Punjab at a support price of Rs 145 per 40 kg while purchase in NWFP will commence soon.

Passco sources told APP here on Sunday that it has fixed initial target of procurement of 9,000 tonnes of graded potato from the Punjab while 1,000 tonnes from NWFP. He said 214 tonnes potato had been procured so far from Okara, Burewala and Hafizabad districts.

He said the procurement centres had been set up in seven zones comprising Okara, Hafizabad, Sargodha, Toba Tek Sindh, Mian Channu, Sahiwal and Burewala areas. He said the procurement would commence soon in Nowshera and Pabbi areas of NWFP.

He said Passco would not compromise on the quality of potato and only graded one would be purchased at support price. He said soon after the Passco kicked-off its procurement, the prices of potato start stabilising in the market, adding, which is a good omen. He called upon the growers and the farmers to bring graded potato at centres to avoid inconvenience.

The sources further said that Passco MD Maj Gen Khurshid Alam had directed the marketing and sale department of Passco to work out feasibility to explore the avenues for the export of this perishable commodity on war-footing so that maximum foreign exchange could be earned.

Special inspection teams have also been constituted which will check and examine the quality of potato purchased from the farmers and the growers. All zonal managers have also been directed to personally ensure proper storage of the commodity, otherwise negligent officials will be taken to task.ÑAPP