LAHORE: Terming the increase in wheat support price by Rs 200 as a joke with the farmers, Speaker Punjab Assembly Chaughry Parvez Elahi on Tuesday said that minimum wheat price should be fixed at Rs 2000 per maund.

In a statement, Elahi maintained that 80 percent farmers are currently facing great economic difficulties, if no relief is provided to the farmers they will be forced to cultivate other crop instead of wheat.

He added that wheat is being sold in the market at Rs 2400 per maund, if Punjab wants to be self-sufficient in wheat, it has to take care of the farmers, and otherwise, it will leave negative impact. "If wheat support price does not fully meet expenses of wheat sowing, what will be the saving of the farmer, what he will eat and sow," he said.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020