DADU, March 27: Farmers are suffering heavy losses because the food department has not started procurement of wheat and traders are purchasing the produce at low prices in the district.

Thousands of maunds of wheat are lying at different places in the district, particularly in the Johi taluka, but the food department has not started purchasing of the commodity.

The government has fixed the rate of wheat at Rs1,037 per bag but traders are purchasing it for Rs940 from farmers which is causing farmers losses.

District food controller Mohammad Haroon Rajpar told Dawn that 360,000 bags of wheat, purchased during the last season, were lying in godowns of the department and, therefore, the food department had reduced the wheat procurement target to 200,000 bags for the current season.

He said that due to shortage of bags, the food department had not started procurement in the district. He said that within a week, bags would be provided to farmers and a procurement centre would be set up to start purchasing of wheat.

Farmers Maula Bux Leghari, Irshad Panhwar and Abdul Ghaffar Khero said they were sustaining losses because the food department was not purchasing wheat.

They called upon the Sindh chief minister to take notice of the matter.

Following complaints from farmers, the DCO has directed the district food controllers to start wheat procurement in the district.

ARRESTED: The Thariri Mohabbat police raided the Hassanabad village on Monday and arrested a robber, Ghulam Ali Bughio, and recovered a gun from his possession.

GASTROENTERITIS: Four people died due to gastroenteritis at different places in the district in two days.

One Fateh Mohammad Jamali, resident of the Phulji Village, Ali Nawaz resident of Khairpur Nathan Shah town died due to gastroenteritis on Saturday.

Ali Bux Buriro, resident of Dadu town and Haq Nawaz, resident of the Pir Bux Village of Dadu taluka died due to gastroenteritis on Sunday.

When contacted the EDO Health, Dr Dhani Bux Thebo, said that medicine for treatment of gastro were available at every taluka hospital and health unit.

He said that gastro patients should contact nearest hospitals so that proper treatment could be provided to them.

SUICIDE: An unemployed youth committed suicide by taking pesticide following domestic problems in the Panhiar Village, Dadu taluka, on Sunday.

The man was a graduate but had failed to get a job.