ISLAMABAD, Jan 28: The special committee on wheat marketing system, in its first meting on Monday decided to review the specifications of wheat for procurement in view of changing requirements in the domestic and export markets.
The step has been taken to combat the difficulties in export of wheat due to substandard quality procured by government agencies, which was hindering the export of surplus stock. It has become a source of concern in the wake of shortage of sufficient and proper storage facilities in the country.
The government at present is faced with problem of disposing of at least two million tons of surplus wheat, and has taken a number of decisions including a special incentives package to the private sector exporters.
The committee had recently been constituted by the federal government for studying the marketing system of wheat to lower the incidental and other costs and examining the scope of utilization of storage facilities available to Rice Export Corporation of Pakistan (RECP) and Cotton Export Corporation (CEC).
The committee, chaired by its chairman M. Shafi Niaz, adviser to the chief executive on food, agriculture and livestock, reviewed the marketing system of wheat in order to provide relief and facilitate the farmers in reducing cost involved in baggage material and transport.
There was consensus in the meeting that in the long run mechanised and bulk handling of the produce and its storage in modern silos will be required to meet the country’s export requirements. It also agreed with a proposal to establish modern laboratories for determining the quality of what meant for export.
Shafi Niaz stressed the need for adoption of a strategy with proper monitoring system in export of wheat of standard quality, which, he said, was all the more necessary in the interest of farmers.
The committee asked the Passco to provide position papers regarding cotton export corporation and rice export corporation godowns and storage facilities at Karachi and propose steps for rehabilitating the facilities for storage. It was also directed to assess the situation of stores constructed in various provinces and their current availability or otherwise for storage purpose.
The meeting was also attended by the minister for food Punjab, high officials of food from Sindh, Balochistan and NWFP, Passco, TCP, chairman, agricultural prices commission and others.
