Punjab farmers angry as govt fails to procure all wheat produce

MULTAN: The district administration has devised a procurement strategy in violation of the Punjab government claims for procuring each grain of wheat to boost the farmers and to improve their financial status.
PTI Vice-Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi rejected less than 50 percent procurement and said the government was just playing with the innocent farmers who had already faced losses in potato, rice and cotton crops.
Talking to this scribe, he pointed out the loopholes in the procurement strategy and said the government was not committed to farmers. Wheat harvesting has been commenced in the district along with other parts of south Punjab, but peasants are facing difficulties in selling their produce at Rs1,300 per 40kg following Rs150/250 drop in per 40kg price. Wheat is being sold in Multan at Rs1,050 to Rs 1150 on roadsides.
Officials say the administration had targeted less than 50 percent wheat procurement in the district against the government’s tall claims. The situation has disappointed the growers who fear grave financial exploitation at the hands of middlemen. Officials said the district administration had planned to buy 227,000 tonnes of wheat from the entire district and set 16 procurement centres.
The Punjab Crop Reporting’s fresh surveys have estimated production of 531,460 tonnes of wheat this year with fears of five percent decline in yield. The Crop Reporting officials said the district had received 544,810 tonnes of wheat in 2014-15. This year, the average yield was reduced from 32.1 to 30 maunds per acre due to frost and bad weather in December last.
The officials said the administration had ensured a transparent wheat procurement process as the centres procured at the rate of Rs1,300 per 40 kg, adding that the procurement process would continue until the last grain was procured.
A Punjab Kissan Committee office bearer, Iqbal Malik, rejected the district officials claims and said the farmers were facing problems in selling their produce because the procurement centres were given limited procurement targets.
The Punjab Kissan Board President, Khurshid Ahmed Khan, strongly condemned the wheat procurement drive and said the farmers were being forced to sell their crops at the lowest prices, adding that the growers could not stock their produce for a long period and were selling the produce at Rs1,125 per 40 kg.
He said they had planned protests across the province to protect farmers’ interests and would block roads.Khurshid Khan Kanju demanded procurement of entire wheat from peasants instead of procuring 227,000 tones of wheat. On the other hand, officials said farmers were being treated at centres like guests and more transparency was brought through a computerised system and citizen feedback.