LAHORE: Wheat growers have voiced significant concerns over the falling market prices of their crop and urged the Punjab government to maintain this season’s procurement target at 4 million tons, consistent with last year’s figure, to prevent substantial financial losses to the farming community.
During a press conference on Monday, Khalid Mahmood Khokhar, President of Pakistan Kissan Ittehad (PKI), appealed to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif for an urgent meeting within the next two days. He said farmers wanted to discuss the shortcomings of this season’s procurement policies directly with her.
Khokhar criticised the current policy of allocating only 36 gunny bags to each grower, stating that this amount is insufficient even to cover the cost of transporting wheat to procurement centers. He recommended that farmers be allocated between 200 to 500 bags each, aligning with practices from previous years.
Despite a bumper crop this year, Khokhar noted that the government’s support has been lacking. Though Kissan package announced by the Maryam-led administration in Punjab included some favorable policies, it has overall led to disappointment among farmers, according to Khokhar.
Khokhar demanded government action against the import of 3.2 million tons of wheat at a time when domestic reserves stood at 4.5 million tons.
He pointed out that such policies have pushed the price of wheat down to Rs 3200 per maund in Punjab, which does not cover production costs.
Khalid Bath, President of another farming group, Kissan Ittehad, echoed the same concerns. At a separate press conference, he highlighted that divisions like Multan and Bahawalpur have produced 7 million tons of wheat, but due to market manipulation, the grain is being purchased at merely Rs 2200-2800 per maund, inflicting severe financial distress on farmers.
He suggested that a portion of Saudi investment in Pakistan should be allocated to bolster the agricultural sector.
Khalid Bath claimed that the growers had applied inputs like fertiliser and pesticides to their crop by obtaining loan on heavy interests from the middle men. He alleged now the same middle men were black-mailing the farmers that was why growers were ready to dispose off their grains on their cost of production.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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