LARKANA, May 7: Officials of the food department have recovered some 23,500 bags of hoarded wheat and sealed various private godowns in different cities of Sindh on Thursday and Friday.

They conducted raids in Kashmor, Kandhkot and Bakhshapur towns and recovered some 9,200 bags of wheat hoarded in rice mills and private godowns. The deputy director of the food department, Larkana region, Ramesh Lal told Dawn on Friday that some 4,300 bags of wheat were recovered from the Nurengan Rice Mills, Roop Rice Mills and four private godowns of Ali Ahmed Bhangwar, Nizam Malik, Bhagwandas and Nerso Lal in Kashmor town.

He said that licence holders were permitted to store only 200 bags of wheat for 10 days and any one who violated it would be dealt accordingly. He said that three trucks and a tractor loaded with wheat were also seized in Kashmor.

Ramesh Lal said the government had fixed a target of procuring 300,000 bags from the Larkana region but it was increased to 800,000 bags in the light of low purchase from Hyderabad and Mirpurkhas regions.

So far 153,770 bags of wheat had been procured and hopefully the target would be achieved soon, he added. "The annual demand of Sindh province is 1,20,000,00 bags of wheat and in routine 50 per cent of the target is met from local produce" he said.

MIRPURKHAS: Around 6,000 bags of wheat were recovered in separate raids in Mirpurkhas district. District Food Controller Aziz Korai told Dawn on Thursday that officials of the food department raided Sattari Cotton Factory and recovered 400 bags of wheat.

He said some 220 bags were recovered from the fertilizer agency of Seth Veronal near Chandni chowk, 1,600 bags near the Khipro bus stand, 1,600 bags from a godown in Jhilory, 2,400 bags from the Bhittai cotton factory and 900 bags were confiscated from a building of Seth Lajpat near the Khipro bus stand.

The target for the district is 150,000 wheat bags. So far about 20,000 wheat bags have been procured. Sources told Dawn that the food department faced difficulties in wheat procurement as it offered Rs350 per maund while in open market the rate was as high as Rs370 per maund.

NAWABSHAH: A special team of the food department led by Deputy Director Saleem Khuhro recovered 4,000 wheat bags from godown of Asim Khanzada in Nawab Wali Mohammad village, 2,800 wheat bags from godown of Nazeer Hussain in Karimabad, and 800 wheat bags from godown of Rochimal in Sarkari Khooh.

The team also conducted raids on Jam Dattar cotton factory in Nawabshah and recovered 700 wheat bags. An official of the food department told Dawn that the stock would be brought to government godowns. No arrest was made till the filing of this report.

KHAIRPUR: Officials of the food department sealed at least 18 private godowns in Gambat taluka on Thursday night. They conducted raids in Khura, Golo Wahan, Bhatti village and other areas and sealed godowns.