ECC sharpens its focus on winter wheat crop

ISLAMABAD: The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet has been informed that wheat production cost for Rabi crop at the market was worked out at Rs2,495 per 40-kg for average farmers and Rs2,427 for resourceful.

Sources said that the last meeting of the ECC discussed in detail estimated cost – inputs, activity, and operation – of the wheat crop 2022-23 with the break-up of every activity for fixing wheat support price.

The meeting of the ECC was informed by the Ministry of National Food Security and Research per acre land preparation cost for average farmers was estimated at Rs6,900 and resourceful farmers at Rs9,400. Seeds and sowing operations cost was estimated at Rs5,475 for average farmers and Rs7,000 for resourceful farmers.

Per acre Plant Protection and Inter-culture cost was estimated at Rs2,000 for average farmers and Rs4,000 resourceful farmers, irrigation and labour cost was estimated at Rs8,700 for average farmers and Rs9,450 for resourceful farmers, fertilisers. FYM and application Rs21,502 for average farmers and Rs32,535 for resourceful farmers, harvesting and threshing Rs10,450 for average farmers and Rs5,000 for resourceful farmers.

ECC likely to approve minimum support price of wheat on Monday

The ECC was informed that land rent for average farmers was estimated at Rs22,500 per acre and Rs25,000 for resourceful farmers, other costs (mark-up, Land Tax, management) Rs5,858 for average farmers, Rs7,704 for resourceful farmers.

The meeting was informed that the value of wheat bhoosa per acre was estimated at Rs9,150 for average famers and Rs6,000 for resourceful farmers, net cultivation cost Rs74,584 for average farmers and Rs95,089 for resourceful farmers, whereas, yield Rs40kg/acre Rs30.50 for average farmers and Rs40, whereas, the cost of production at market Rs/40kg was estimated at Rs2,495 for average farmers and Rs2,427 for resourceful farmers.

The meeting was informed that the Agriculture Policy Institute (API) has worked out Rs2,495/40kg cost of production of wheat crop Rabi 2022-23 for the average farmer and Rs2,427/40kg for the progressive grower.

The ECC meeting was informed that the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) in its reports for the period April 2022 to September 2022 has reported an average local wheat price of Rs2,776.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022