KARACHI
Wheat growers are distressed that inefficient and ineffective planning and delay in buying by the Sindh government would compel them to opt for other cash crops. It is pertinent to mention that growers are still waiting for opening of wheat procurement centers throughout the province.
While the food department has issued tenders for the transportation, storage and fumigation of reserves places. Farmers were also concerned about the decreasing prices of wheat in international market and took the sigh of relief after Economic Coordination Committee ECC’s decision to impose uniform 25 percent duty on import of wheat and its products.
Government has reduced its wheat procurement target by 25pc this season due to surplus wheat in stock and limited warehouse facilities, which is to further damage the livelihood of farmers.
Meanwhile, buyers said the government at the time of wheat shortage also allows wheat import in heavy quantity which proves damaging for local farmers and creates unrest. It is to be noted that the private sector in Sindh imported around 700,000 million tons of wheat last season. Sources said 60-day ban on movement of wheat across provincial borders, fearing the inflow of wheat flour to Karachi from other parts of the country. ‘But this step is not going to help the farmers,’ reasoned the source.
Even the revised support price (Rs 1300/40 kg) for the new season, he added, would be of no help to them as an official of Sindh Abadgar Board has already stated that farmers in Sindh would sell the grain below the support price because they are about to start harvesting and surplus stocks are still at government warehouses. The Sindh government has announced procuring wheat from the 15th of this month at Hyderabad and Mirpurkhas divisions, while the pending stock of wheat would be shifted from Sukkur, Ghotki and Khairpur go-downs to Karachi to ensure the supply of monthly requirement of 2 million tonnes wheat to Karachi market.