Effective wheat procurement system: UAF’s scientists developing policy recommendations

FAISALABAD: University of Agriculture, Faisalabad’s scientists are developing policy recommendations for effective wheat procurement system, per acre productivity increment, food security and profitable agriculture to meet food needs of ever-increasing population coupled with best market model that will raise the profits of common farmers.”

This was stated by the experts at a consultative meeting on Wheat Crop Scenario 2024-25 jointly organized by University of Agriculture, Faisalabad and Asian Development Bank. The policy dialogue was in the backdrop of direction from the Government of Punjab, seeking UAF to conduct a detailed analysis of wheat scenario, and growers’ perception about the wheat support price, and cultivation for the next year.

Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan said that improving wheat procurement system is the need of the hour so that losses can be reduced. He said that the private sector will also have to play its active role in solving the problems faced by farming community.

There was a general consensus in the meeting that the public procurement is inefficient and is one of the reasons for poor wheat market development.

The panelists overwhelmingly opposed policy of procuring wheat by food department for subsidized sale to flour mills resulting in misallocation of subsidies and huge welfare loss. The strategic wheat reserves were supported by majority of the panelists subject to rationalization of the reserves on scientific basis and putting in place an efficient procurement system for the strategic reserves.

The key policy experts from various organizations such as Florence Rolle (Country representative , FAO, World Bank); Noriko Sato, Senior Natural Resource Specialist, Asian Development Bank; Asmat Raza (Senior Agriculture Specialist, USDA); University of Agriculture, Faisalabad Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan, Dr Nadeem ulHaq (PIDE Vice Chancellor), Dr Akmal Siddique (Ministry of National Food security and Research), Dr Ghulam Muhammad Ali (Chairman PARC), Dr Abid Qaiyum Suleri (SDPI), Prof Dr Asif Ali (Chief Executive Seed Regulatory Authority), Amir Aziz (CEO Agri Services, HBL), Mohsin Rose (World Bank), UAF team members including Dr Babar Shahbaz (Dean Social Sciences), Dr Jafar Jaskani (Director ORIC), Dr Izhar Ahmad Khan (Chairman Sociology), Dr Ijaz Ahmad, Dr Shoukat Ali and others participated.

Prof Dr Babar Shahbaz explained the findings of the preliminary research conducted by the faculty of Social Sciences.

The panelists also underscored the importance of enhancing production efficiency through better agronomy and enabling technology use in agriculture sector in general and wheat in particular. The dialogue concluded to make use of existing rich knowledge on wheat market and procurement and build insights from long term national and international data for wheat and other domestically produced and imported agriculture commodities for a system approach to tackle the crisis and shift thinking from mere forecasting to foresight to convert the crisis into opportunity.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024