DADU: Corrupt officials of food department and local traders are smuggling wheat unchecked to other parts of the country and Afghanistan from Dadu, Jamshoro and other districts of Sindh, causing a shortage of the commodity and subsequent rise in its price in local markets, according to growers.

They warned if the smuggling was not stopped immediately, it would further deepen the wheat crisis. Influential traders had set up camps in Jhaloo, Moundar, Keti Jatoi, Shah Panjo, Nau Dero, Purano Dero, Sita Road, Khairpur Nathan Shah, Phulji Station, Radhan, Thariri Mohabbat, Nau Goth, Mehar, Wahi Pandhi and Haji Khan areas in Dadu district to buy wheat from growers in order to smuggle it to Afghanistan via Balochistan and Karachi, they said.

“Food officials have not provided gunny bags to growers but they are purchasing wheat from them through local traders,” said Ali Khan Jatoi, a grower in Jhaloo area.

“Food officials in connivance with local traders have started smuggling wheat towards Afghanistan and big towns of the country to make windfall profits,” said Shahid Ali Siyal, a grower.

Say the crisis will deepen if immediate steps not taken to check the menace

“About 100 to 150 trucks loaded with the grain are daily being smuggled towards big cities of the country and Afghanistan through different routes. Rs100,000 Rs150,000 bribe has been fixed by food officials and local police as a price to look the other way when the trucks pass by check-posts on Indus Highway,” he said.

He said the gunny bags were only provided to influential traders linked to Pakistan Peoples Party leaders while small growers were neglected. There was massive corruption in the grain’s purchase and all corrupt officials had been appointed to key posts in food department, complained Ali Mohammad Khushik, a grower in Moundar riverine area.

“Millions of tonnes of wheat is lying in fields. Smuggling of wheat should be stopped immediately and local food officials and traders involved in the smuggling should be arrested,” said Dr Aftab Bhand, a grower leader.

“The traders continue to buy millions of tonnes of wheat in Sukkur, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas and Larkana regions and smuggle it to Afghanistan in connivance with corrupt food officials. It will definitely cause crisis of wheat and flour in the province,” he said.

District Food Controller Shahzad Shahani rejected growers’ allegations and said several check-posts had been established to stop wheat smuggling through highways.

“In Jamshoro district, the traders have established camps in Sehwan, Manhjnad, Sann, Lakky Shah Saddar, Lakha, Khanoth, Budhapur and Unnarpur to buy the grain and supply it to big cities and Afghanistan,” said Saleem Qureshi, a Sehwan grower.

“The province has produced more wheat this year that the last year and large heaps of wheat are lying in fields. If it rains growers will face huge losses,” said Roshan Ali Mahesar, a Naushahro Feroze grower.

“Growers have already started harvesting wheat crop in Kandiaro, Mithiani, Pad Eidan and Moro areas but instead of buying the grain from growers, food officials are purchasing it from local traders,” he said.

Shikarpur DFC Mansoor Shahani said that strict measures had been taken to stop smuggling of wheat.

Published in Dawn, March 27th, 2023