Farmers associations have demanded of the government to fix wheat support price at Rs 500 per 40 kg for the next crop. They have also urged the government to set separate wheat procurement targets for Passco and provincial food departments. This was stated by one of the participants of the meeting with APCom chairman here on Monday.
It was a preliminary meeting of the Commission to discuss wheat support price for Rabi and was attended by Provincial Directors General Agriculture, Director General Planning Commission and representatives from Minfal, Science and Technology and farmers associations. The farmers urged the Commission to involve Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) for maintaining support price of the produce and later for its export after the procurement season. TCP should also be given a target of 30 percent of total procurement as well, they demanded.
They said that Minfal should import seed varieties of wheat with gluten level of over 45 percent, which is required to make bread or Naan as the existing varieties of wheat contain only 25 percent of gluten.
Hybrid varieties based on tissue culture and Genetically Engineered (GE) wheat should be produced in the research centres not only to face WTO challenges but also to produce 80 to 120 maunds per acre yield, the farmers demanded. Currently, the local varieties are yielding 40 to 50 maunds per acre.
Extension staff of the provincial agriculture departments should also be trained on modern lines to get more yield per acre, particularly of wheat, the farmers urged.
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