'Punjab to buy wheat for other provinces as well'.

LAHORE -- Senior minister Abdul Aleem Khan says the government has foiled many attempts to smuggle wheat with the help of intelligence agencies and now it needs co-operation of the national highway and motorway police (NH and MP) in this regard.

Participating in the meeting of National Command and Operations Centre through video link here on Monday, Aleem Khan, who is also food minister, said the food sector in the province was being closely monitored and efforts being made to ensure that there should be no shortage of the staple crop.

He said 45 per cent purchase target had been achieved while the [procurement] drive was in full swing and the target would be achieved soon. He said wheat crop and procurement in south Punjab would be more than the target; however rains in central and upper Punjab had affected the crop to some extent. However, he said, Punjab as a whole had set a target of 4.5 million metric ton that would easily be achieved despite its seemingly large size.

Speaking about the supply of wheat from Punjab to other provinces, the...