May 20, 2008	Tuesday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 14, 1429

SAHIWAL, May 19: Thousands of growers have withheld their extra yield hoping they will get better prices in the coming days either from the government as support price or from open market, say Anjuman Kashtkaran officials.

Wheat farmers told reporters they were under immense pressure from the government to sell their produce to the Food Department.

According to a Food Department official, the department bought 0.87 million tons of wheat against the target of 3.2 million tons by May 16. The department is miles from its target despite using police and Revenue Department officials pressuring farmers to sell their wheat to the department, said Chaudhry Rahmat Ali, Anjuman Kashtkaran president. He said growers had stocked their extra yield because the government’s prices for wheat were not sufficient.

In local grain markets, wheat brokers, commission agents and middle men are offering Rs710 for 40 kilogramme (kg) wheat, while flour mills are buying wheat at Rs670 per 40 kg. Even though private buyers are offering better prices then those of the government, farmers are not selling their yield to them.

"Farmers have withheld their yield and the moment the government eases up pressure, they will bring wheat to the open market," Sheikh Muhammad Afzal, Punjab Grain Commission Agents Association president said.

Farmers say no district can achieve their targets because their targets are not realistic. They say the involvement of law enforcers to meet wheat procurement targets would not be of any use.

Food Department officials in Sahiwal are more occupied with procurement target as Provincial Food Minister Malik Nadeem Kamran belongs to the district.

In another development, the Punjab government has allowed flour mills to buy one month wheat stock. Earlier, they were allowed to keep wheat enough for 72 hours production. Mr Afzal said flour millers would likely to increase the prices of wheat up to Rs800 to 900 per 40kg.