LAHORE - The Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation (PASSCO) has stepped up wheat procurement campaign in the designated Tehsils of the Punjab and Sindh provinces. According to the officials, MD PASSCO Maj. Gen. Sohail Shafkat has directed the officials to step up wheat procurement drive besides evolving an effective monitoring system to safeguard the interests of the growers and to eliminate the role of middlemen from the wheat purchase process. The federal government has allocated 1.6 millions wheat procurement target to the PASSCO during the current season. According to PASSCO management, the wheat procurement campaign is in progress in 15 designated Tehsils and 192 wheat procurement centers have been set up in various parts of the Punjab province. They further said that at least 10 million jute bags have been distributed among the growers at the procurement centers. The corporation has also made sufficient arrangements to facilitate the farmers during the wheat procurement campaign. The PASSCO management has constituted committees in this regard at the procurement centers along with revenue record to eliminate the role of middlemen. They also said that the staff would purchase wheat from the growers all the seven day of the week. Passco has begun wheat procurement in Hafizabad, Pindi Bhattian, Gojra, Okara, Pakpattan, Burewala, Mailsi, Mian Channu, Lodhran, Karore Pacca, Bahawlnagar, Minchinabad, Alipur, Jatoi, Khanpur, Layyah and three tehsils in Sindh procince.