LAHORE - Criticizing the significant increase in wheat support price, the economists have warned the government that this step would increase inflation in the country to over 15 per cent. Noted economist Dr Khawaja Amjad Saeed, while talking to The Nation, proposed that direct subsidy to farmers could be given in form of cheaper agricultural inputs in order to reduce the cost of production. He feared that increase in wheat support price would also halt export of wheat or wheat products. He claimed that wheat prices were already high in Pakistan as compared to international market. Talking about the crisis of fertilizer in the country, Dr Khawaja Amjad Saeed, who is also the principal of Hailey College of Banking and Finance, said that a highly unjust attitude was being shown to Punjab regarding the supply of gas. He said that the people of Punjab had a national thinking and provided around 80 per cent of the total agriculture produce to the whole country without any discrimination but despite that a totally unjust attitude towards the people of Punjab was highly unfair. He said an equitable gas policy should be adopted towards the people of the whole country and the discriminatory attitude towards Punjab should be changed. Dr Khawaja Amjad Saeed said urea had become a scarce commodity and its price was also continuously on the rise. He demanded the government to increase gas supply to urea manufacturers. He pointed out that the Punjab played pivotal role in the economy of Pakistan by contributing almost 77 percent wheat, 76.7 percent maize, 66.2 percent cotton, 63.4 percent sugarcane, 54 percent rice, 87 percent gram, 83.6 percent bajra, 94.3 percent citrus, 78.8 percent mango, 75.8 percent guava, 65 percent buffaloes and around 49 percent cattle to total agricultural production of the country. He said that this contribution can further be enhanced by identifying the factors that affect agricultural production in the province. He urged the government to provide the agriculture land to the farmers free of cost, so that their living standard could be uplifted through improvement in their earnings. He criticized the landlords sitting in the Parliament, who are always against the interest of the growers. So, the government should take a step forward and provide state-owned land to the landless farmers. In water deficient areas, water conservation techniques should be introduced and promoted among the farmers, he said. He said that farmers should be provided incentives and technical expertise. In this connection, electricity should be provided at subsidized rates to the agriculture sector, he said. In our neighbouring country India, power to agriculture is offered at a very low price; in a few cases it is even free, he pointed out. Like many Indian states, the government of Punjab can also adopt policy of irrigation subsidies to facilitate the poor farmers. He said that there are no shortcuts to sustained economic development. So, we need to develop the right strategies and then translate these strategies into action, he added. He said that both our economic and political leadership is faced with multiple challenges of trade imbalance, inflation, unemployment, power crisis and security situation and added that the challenges for making good decisions on these fronts require a clear and long term vision.