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Govt flayed for not increasing
wheat support price
LAHORE�Several farmers
organisations and agriculture experts have criticised the
government for not increasing the wheat support price and
reduction in procurement target.
Eminent agriculture experts, office-bearers of farmers
organisations including Farmers Associates of Pakistan (FAP),
Kissan Board Pakistan (KBP) and Anjuman Kashtkaraan termed the
move as an anti-farmers. They observed that after the Cabinet
decision of not increasing the wheat price and reduction in
the procurement target, farmers would be selling their major
cash crop at a loss.
Chaudhry Sultan Ali, President Anjuman Kashtkaraan feared
20-25 per cent reduction in area under wheat cultivation due
to the decision of the government. He said that rates of
almost all the inputs have been increased significantly,
leaving the farmers in a real trouble.
He demanded of the government to increase the support price
keeping in view the price hike of all the agri inputs.
A progressive farmer, Jahangir Tareen told The Nation that
farmers would be adversely affected mainly due to the
reduction in the wheat procurement target. He said the
government had slashed official wheat procurement target for
the next year crop to four million tons against 4.5 million
tons of 2000-2001.
�Farmers will not suffer loss if the government ensures
procurement of whole wheat stocks at Rs 300 per 40 kg, he
viewed. He was of the opinion that farmers, especially, the
small wheat growers, would have to bear losses as private
sector would manipulate the market in the absence of public
sector.
He opined that private parties should be allowed to procure
wheat only at the official support price as private sugar
millers purchase sugarcane form growers on official support
price.
A spokesman of Kissan Board Pakistan said that following the
decision of the government, the cash-starved farmers would
have no option but not to sow wheat in the current season. He
said that the production of the wheat would be lowered sharply
due to the government move.
Meanwhile, Farmers Associates of Pakistan also expressed its
dissatisfaction over the government decision of not increasing
the wheat support price, saying that the wheat growers would
greatly be discouraged to sow the major food staple in the
current season.
It may be noted that Federal Cabinet, on November 21,
disallowed a proposal to raise the wheat support price by Rs
25 per 40 kg for the current Rabi crop. The Cabinet decided to
maintain the wheat support price at the last year�s level of
Rs 300 per 40 kg.
According to Agricultural Prices Commission�s report, the cost
of wheat production had risen significantly in Punjab and
Sindh provinces. Consequently, the commission suggested an
immediate raise in the support price. The Federal Agriculture
Ministry, earlier, recommended to raise the wheat support
price from the existing Rs 300 per 40 kg to Rs 325 to give a
message to growers to grow more wheat in the country. The
government has also slashed its wheat procurement target for
the next year crop.
The cabinet�s decision to reject the summary has sent a
negative signal to the farmers community that the government
had no interest in their welfare. He said the purpose of
declaring the wheat target right now was to prepare the next
year wheat market for procurement so that the farmers do not
suffer the losses.
Courtesy The Nation
November 23, 2001 |
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