The Punjab Food Department has decided to put an end to the Punjab government’s wheat procurement campaign, local media reported on Saturday.
Quoting sources, the news channel said that now private sector would purchase wheat from farmers. A new policy in this regard has been drafted and legislation will be done on this issue. The government will decide the wheat procurement price keeping in white the international market rate of the commodity. Same wheat procurement rate will be set in all four provinces of Pakistan.
According to the sources, this new wheat procurement policy will save the food department from incurring a loss of billions of rupees in interest and storage costs. The food department is currently spending Rs400 billion under these two heads. Moreover, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) too has asked the provinces to cut their expenditure.
On the other hand, the Pakistan Kissan Ittehad has launched a nationwide protest movement against the government’s decision to put an end to the wheat procurement campaign. Farmers have been in trouble since the beginning of the wheat harvest season 2024, which started last month.
Speaking to the media, protesting farmers voiced their concerns. A farmer said the government should buy the wheat from farmers because the commodity was rotting in fields and causing loss to both farmers and the country. Another farmer said the government announced a wheat support price of Rs3,900 per 40kg, but now it was not buying their wheat even at the rate of Rs3,000 per 40kg. He said this situation has caused the farmers a loss of billions of rupees.
Also, the protesting farmers raised slogans against costly pesticides, high power tariff and expensive fertilisers Commenting on the government’s decision to put an end to the official wheat procurement campaign, a farmer said those who imported wheat right before the wheat harvest season in the country should be punished; farmers should not be punished for someone else’s fault.
کوئٹہ/احتجاج
زمیندار ایکشن کمیٹی کا صوبائی اسمبلی کے سامنے ہزاروں کے تعداد میں کسانوں کا دھرنا.
09.05.2024 pic.twitter.com/TWrHemUjaO— Kissan Pakistan (@kissan_pakistan) May 10, 2024
Also, there are reports that the wheat imported by Pakistan’s interim rulers a few months ago is substandard.
باہر سے امپورٹ کی گئی گندم
پاسکو سنٹر جلال پور (حافظ آ باد)
ہے.
گندم نہیں گند امپورٹ کیا ہے ظالموں نے
عوام الناس کسان سے گندم خرید کریں یا پھر کیڑوں والا آٹا کھائیں فیصلہ آپ کا. pic.twitter.com/FK0l9Jkjmg— Kissan Pakistan (@kissan_pakistan) May 9, 2024
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