October 18, 2006	Wednesday	Ramazan 24, 1427

ISLAMABAD, Oct 17: The Federal Committee on Agriculture (FCA) has fixed 22.5 million tons wheat and 13.8 million bales cotton targets for the current Rabi season and hinted towards the export of surplus wheat after Eid.

The targets are 800,000 tons and 1.1 million bales more than of last year’s and would be achieved with the availability of required water and fertilisers at reasonable rates.

“We have 2 million tons of wheat extra and would decide about its export after Eid,” Federal Agriculture Minister Sikandar Hayat Bosan said while briefing newsmen on the FCA’s meeting held here on Tuesday.The government was taking various enforcement measures to ensure that Rs16.2 billion subsidy on fertilisers did not go to middlemen and industry and benefited only farmers, Mr Bosan replied when asked that the factories were showing fake records of fertilisers stocks they never possessed in order to pocket the Rs250 per bag subsidy on Phosphatic and Potash.

The committee decided to levy 10 per cent import duty on wheat to enable the country’s farmers to get reasonable prices for their wheat. There would be no inter-provincial/district ban on wheat movement. The support prices for wheat had also been increased from the exiting Rs215 per 40 kg to Rs250.

Wheat target would be achieved by 17.8 million tons production in Punjab, 2.7 million tons in Sindh, 1.25 million tons in NWFP and 700,000 tons in Balochistan.

The meeting, also attended by representatives of agriculture departments from all provinces and Kashmir, was informed that the country’s wheat stocks for the current season were at 23.8m tons compared to the domestic requirement of 21 million tons.

Therefore, the extra two million tons would be exported after reviewing the situation in a meeting after Eid and ensuring that domestic consumers would not suffer in the shape of increased prices of wheat and flour.

Intervention price for phutti was also increased from the existing Rs975 per 40 kg to Rs1,025.

Despite massive damage done to cotton crop by rains, floods and diseases in Punjab and Sindh, this season’s targets would hopefully be obtained easily, the committee was informed.

Gram target has been fixed at 700,000 tons that was well above the country’s consumption and would stabilise the soaring prices of pulses, the committee observed. Potato target had been fixed at two million tons, onion 2.1m tons and lentil 28,200 tons.

The Metrological Department has forecast 25 per cent more rains for Rabi season.

The Irsa informed that during the Rabi season a total of 31.59m acre feet (MAF) water will be available — 17.03 MAF to Punjab, 12.84 MAF to Sindh, 0.70 MAF to NWFP and 1.02 MAF to Balochistan.

This is a 14pc shortfall than the normal availability of 36 MAF for the season.

At present a total of 9.364 MAF water storage available — 5.238 MAF in Turbela, 3.989 MAF in Mangla and 0.137 MAF in Chashma.