May 08, 2008	Thursday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 2, 1429

MULTAN, May 7: Growers of the southern Punjab have condemned the government decision to import wheat while harvesting and thrashing of the crop are still in progress.

President of Kissan Board, Rajanpur, Rasheed Khan Langah, said that the decision to import 250,000 tons of wheat by the Economic Coordination Committee of the Cabinet in the first week of May shocked the farming community.

He said that it was a matter of concern that the country, that had not imported wheat for seven years from 2000 to 2006 and instead exported the staple food, suddenly decided to import it while the harvesting and thrashing process was still under way.

He said that the government itself had declared that the estimated production of crop would be 21.8 million tons this year against an estimated consumption of 21.5 million tons.

He thought that there was no need to import wheat for local consumption because the country’s estimated production would be sufficient.

Khawaja Muhammad Shoaib of Farmers Vision Forum contradicted the prime minister’s claim that the government provided Rs400 billion subsidy for wheat and Rs16 billion for fertiliser to the growers and said that the government did not give subsidy to the farmers because the subsidy on wheat was meant for flour millers and the urban population of country and the subsidy on fertilisers benefited the fertilizers companies and the importers.

He said that a large quantity of subsidised fertilisers was still stocked in the godwons of fertilisers companies and the importers and if the country did not import more fertilisers the stocks would be sufficient to meet the country’s need till December.

Khawaja Shoaib said that the government had even failed to ensure the sale of subsidised fertilizer at the proper time and instead importers and fertilisers companies hoarded the stuff because its prices were gradually increasing due to the rising trend in international market.

He said that the practice of hoarding the subsidised fertilizers caused the shortage of the commodity and an abnormal increase in the prices was witnessed.

He demanded of the government to make it public how much quantity of the subsidised fertiliser was sold by the importers and the companies. Their sales invoices that were submitted to the ministry for food, agriculture and livestock should also be made public.

He said that last year the government paid $171 to the local farmers against per ton wheat and the minimum price of imported wheat was not less than $450. The government has also imported the staple food at $511 to $653.

Khawaja Shoaib said that it was not the government that had provided subsidy to the farmers but it was the farming community that had given subsidy to the government by way of selling its crop at $171 per ton against the imported price of $653.

He said that the government decision to import wheat at a time when the harvesting was continuing was an obvious dishonesty because the estimated production was more than the local consumption.

He demanded the establishment of a federal wheat board consisting of all the stakeholders, including flour millers, farmers and the officials.