LAHORE: Punjab Food Minister Bilal Yasin has supported the call for setting up a committee to investigate import of wheat by the caretaker government as the house unanimously rejected the current wheat procurement policy.

Concluding the discussion on wheat procurement policy in the Punjab Assembly on Thursday, he negated the impression that the government does not want to buy wheat.

“In fact, the change in weather is one of the reasons behind the delay in the start of the wheat procurement drive.”

He said the decision to import wheat had been taken by the caretaker government and not the Punjab food department and the move should be investigated as it has created problems for the purchase of new crop.

Speaker says small growers can’t be left at the mercy of middlemen

He assured the MPAs that the suggestions made during the discussion would be made part of the new wheat procurement policy as growers would not be left alone.

He lauded the opposition for making positive suggestions on the matter.

Earlier, members across the aisle in assembly rejected the government’s policy of purchasing wheat only from farmers owning land up to six acres.

Speaker Malik Ahmad Khan also put his weight behind the MPAs saying the wheat growers owning more six acres of land could not be left at the mercy of market forces.

Opposition MPA Rana Shehbaz wondered how 3.5 million tonnes of grain were imported against the policy decision of importing only 2.2mt wheat.

Brig retired Mushtaq lamented that suggestions were being sought at a time when the crop must have been procured.

Mian Ijaz Shafi said that half of the wheat has been harvested, while the procurement drive has not started.

Treasury MPA Jafar Ali Hocha said that middlemen and not the growers were applying for gunny bags through the Bardana App developed for the purpose.

He warned that if the wheat grower was ignored this time, the whole province would suffer as the farming community would turn to other crops.

Former speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal lamented that the minister was not coming up with a clear wheat policy.

Roy Muhammad Ali suggested allocating funds for stocking wheat so that the growers get relief in the next year.

Arif Mehmood Gul and Chaudhry Javed called for an agricultural emergency to save the financial backbone of the country.

Published in Dawn, April 26th, 2024