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Farmers prefer private buyers
DERA GHAZI KHAN, April
28: The food department is finding it difficult to
meet its wheat procurement target as farmers are
selling their crop to private buyers. As against a
target of 430,000 tons, the department has so far
been able to procure only 13,269 tons of wheat
from Dera Ghazi Khan, 18,000 tons from Layyah,
37,000 tons from Rajanpur and 34,000 tons from
Muzaffargarh. The procurement drive is to end on
May 20.
This year, per acre yield of wheat crop has been
lowered by an unexpected rise in temperature and
closure of canals and unavailability of irrigation
water at a critical stage. The crop matured early.
Per acre yield in Taunsa Sharif is 23.9 maunds per
acre this year, as against 33 maunds last year. In
Dera Ghazi Khan, per acre yield was 34.17 maunds
last year, but it came down to 26 maunds this
year.
Farmers are selling their crop to private buyers
at Rs390 to 400 per maund, while the government is
offering Rs367 only. Dealers and millers of other
provinces are purchasing the crop directly from
farmers despite the ban on inter-district movement
of the crop.
The food department has established seven
procurement centres each in Dera Ghazi Khan and
Rajanpur, 12 in Muzaffargarh and seven in Layyah
as well as three checkposts to halt movement of
the crop to other provinces: Shah Wali post at the
border with Sindh, Tareman post at the border with
the NWFP and Baiwata post at the border with
Baluchistan.
Experts say that early maturation of wheat will
also affect the yield next year, as the government
provides only 17 per cent seed for sowing.
Therefore, 83 per cent seed for the next crop will
come from this crop, which is not healthy as it
matured early.
The DAWN
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Pakissan.com; Advisory Point
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