Sindh beats Punjab in raising wheat support price
Provincial cabinet fixes rate at Rs2,000/40kg: Murtaza Wahab blasts federal govt for importing poor-quality commodity at higher price
October 29, 2020 04:36 PM
The Sindh cabinet on Thursday decided to increase the wheat support price to Rs2,000 and that of sugarcane to Rs202 per maund (40 kilogramme) in attempt to support the farmers who are worst affected by the alarming inflation, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
Sharing the details at press conference in Karachi, Murtaza Wahab – the provincial government spokesperson – blasted the PTI-led federal setup over the decision to import wheat from Russia and Ukraine. The imported wheat was expensive and of poor quality, he added.
Murtaza remarked that the federal cabinet had decided to import wheat at a time when the government wasn’t ready to procure better quality locally-produced wheat from the farmers.
The spokesperson noted that the imported wheat cost around Rs2,100 per maund as he also explained the reasoning behind raising the sugarcane price.
He said the crushing season would start from November 30 and recalled that how the sugar crisis was created in the country.
Murtaza noted that the federal government was powerless against the mafia as the sugar price had reached Rs110 per kilogramme.
Amid the wheat crisis which worsened despite the harvesting carried out four months ago, the PTI has been facing severe criticism as the Punjab government increased the support price for wheat by Rs200 to Rs1,400 – a move rejected by both the allies and the opposition.
Political leaders like Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi and Khawaja Asif have been of the view that the increase is insufficient to meet the higher cost which the farmers had to experience. Moreover, they wondered why benefit was not being provided to the local farmers when the government had chosen to import wheat at a much higher price.
It is a very complicated issue as even the official figures reveal that the inflation is higher for the rural population. Furthermore, the rising cost of inputs – from seeds and fertilizers to electricity and diesel – has made agriculture a very difficult profession to sustain.
That’s why some experts have been warning that many farmers are shying away from wheat cultivation.
Same is the case with the sugarcane growers who are manipulated by the sugar mills owners and have been forced to expect very little profit due to higher inputs.