Agri Forum Pakistan has urged Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani to enhance wheat support price from current Rs 950 per 40 kg to Rs 1250 kg as the growers may suffer a loss of Rs 2100 per acre if the present rate of support price is maintained. Agri Forum Pakistan chairman Ibrahim Mughal in a letter to the prime minister said that wheat sowing season is passing at a swift pace and till date only 14 percent land, against the target, has been brought under wheat cultivation.
He claimed that wheat had been sown on only 3 million acres till date while the sowing target this year is 22 million acres. This shows indifference of the growers in sowing wheat, he said. He said that input cost currently is around Rs 1025 per 40 kg while the current support price is Rs 950 per 40 kg. Thus, the growers at the end of the season may suffer a loss of Rs 2100 per acre. He claimed that Indian government had significantly enhanced the support price of wheat.
Ibrahim termed timely unavailability of fertilisers and skyrocketing prices as another reason of the indifference of the growers. He requested the prime minister to order import of 1.5 million tons of urea. He said that the price should also be printed on the bags of imported urea, otherwise farmers are already getting urea bag at Rs 1800 per bag instead of Rs 1300 (company price) causing a loss of Rs 500. He alleged that this extra amount of Rs 500 is going into the pockets of the officers of fertiliser manufacturing companies and people in the government.
He claimed that former food and agriculture minister Nazar Muhammad Gondal had ensured printing of price on fertiliser bags so as the provincial governments could ensure its implementation. "If this is not possible, then imported urea should be sold equal to the price being charged by Fauji, Engro, Dawood and other local plants so the government could save money to be given as subsidy on fertilisers," he proposed.
The AFP chairman also expressed fear that wheat production this year may remain 2-3 million tons less than the target if the issues like increase in support price, availability of fertiliser and others are not solved amicably at the earliest. He said it would also result in reduction in area under wheat this year. He supported his fear saying that wheat in Punjab had been sown on 1.3 million acres till date against the target of 16.5 million acres of land.
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