The All Pakistan Solvent Extractors Association (Apsea) has announced to procure sunflower from its members at the rate of Rs 1,600 per 40-kg at the factory gate to enable the farmers to get due compensation for their labour.
This was announced by Apsea Chairman Shahzad Ali Khan while addressing a press conference at the Pakistan Agriculture Storage and Services Corporation (Passco) head office here on Monday. Passco General Manager (Fields) Chaudhry Abdul Majeed, Pakistan Oilseed Development Board (PODB) Provincial Director Syed Nasir Ali Shah, Kisan Board Pakistan (KBP) Secretary (Information) Chaudhry Akhtar Farooq and others were also present.
Passco will also make standby arrangements that if the prices of sunflower in open market do not improve, it will buy the produce at the rate of Rs 1,600 per 40-kg for farmers on behalf of the All Pakistan Solvent Extractors Association.
Shahzad said that gates of their member factories are open for the farmers round the clock and those bringing their produce to factories would be paid within 48 hours.
He advised the farmers to bring their produce directly at factories and not let the middlemen take undue advantage. He said the Association at the request of Kisan Board Pakistan had also set up three procurement centers in Rajanpur, Jampur, and Rojhan where there exists no concept of helping the farmers.
He said the farmers would be paid Rs 1,600 per 40-kg of the produce which was in line with the international standard ie, with eight percent moisture and two percent foreign element. Two kilograms deduction would also be made for produce to be brought in jute bag and one-kg deduction for produce brought in plastic bag, he added.
He said the sunflower crop had produced 800,000 to 900,000 tonnes this year and was sown on 12-1300,000 acres. He said Sindh farmers even got Rs 1,700 for their produce higher than the support price announced.
He said that the produce this year would help extract 300,000 to 350,000 tonnes oil saving a foreign exchange of $500 million. Meanwhile, according to the strategy devised at a joint meeting of PODB, Passco and Apsea representatives, Passco would make standby arrangements after the approval of ECC and Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock.
It would pay Rs 1,600 per maund at its godowns. Apsea and Passco would make an agreement in this regard while solvent plant individually deposit Rs 2000 per ton as pay back money with Passco and they would lift their stock within 90 days from the Corporation.
Passco would take no profit except handling charges and Bank mark-up. The Association could also set up its procurement centers at Passco procurement centers and the Association's representatives and PODB would provide their one representative each at these centers to provide technical assistance to the Passco staff.