The government should save small farmers from tentacles of the middleman and ensure them timely procurement of their wheat at the official support price. This was demanded by the Sustainable Action Group (Saag) and Pakistan Kissan Ittehad (PKI) at a press conference here on Wednesday.
The middlemen are purchasing wheat at the rate of Rs 390 to Rs 400 per 40Kg , against the support price of Rs 425 per 40 Kg set by the government. Dr Abid Suleri, Assistant Executive Director, Sustainable Development Policy Institute, (SDPI), said that government has fixed support price by adding only Rs 10 to the last year's support price of Rs 415 per 40Kgs.
Whereas increase of about 30 percent to 40 percent was recorded in the price of different agriculture inputs against a nominal increase of 2.43 percent in the wheat support price of this year.
Tariq Mahmood, Advocate and President Sawera Foundation, Chishtian held (Passco) and Food Department responsible for the plight of small farmers. He said to rush for cotton cultivation starting from April 30, farmer is forced to sell his wheat to the middlemen.
While criticising the cumbersome procedure for the sale of wheat at the procurement centre, especially getting the gunny bags, he said according to the policy a farmer can get a maximum number of hundred (100) gunny bags from a procurement centre. Small farmer, already short of cash, has to prepare a Call Deposit of Rs 5,300 (Rs 53 per gunny bag) in bank for getting 100 gunny bags.
Malik Abdul Majeed Cheena, Chief Co-ordinator, Pakistan Kissan Ittehad (PKI) highlighted the problems being faced by the small farmers. He alleged, the promises made by the government do not exist in reality. The speaker demanded a simple procedure for payment of money to the farmers.