SWABI: The unabated wheat grain inflow from Punjab during the last few weeks has flooded the local markets, slashing the price of a 50-kilogramme bag below the government-fixed rate in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The arrival of Punjab wheat in abundance has a great impact on the local farmers because their grain now sells at Rs3,600 per 50kg in the market, while last year when there was no inflow of wheat from Punjab the same quantity was sold at Rs6,200.

Zar Bacha, a farmer in Maneri Bala village, said: “As compared with previous year, we are losing Rs2,600 per 50kg, which is a great financial loss.”

Other farmers were also highly perturbed by the prevailing situation.

Sher Khan, a wheat trader, told Dawn that he brought a huge quantity of grain from Punjab and now was selling the same at Rs4,900 per 50kg.

He said: “We have stopped buying the local wheat because the buyers prefer the Punjab grain.”

The government has established a wheat purchasing centre on Alamabad Road in Chota Lahor, where the grain is purchased from farmers at Rs4,875 per 50kg.

However, the small farmers are unable to take their grain to the purchasing point as big landlords have stocked a huge quantity there.

If a small farmer is able to bring his produce to the collection point its fate will be decided by the members of the wheat purchasing committee. They will accept the grain if its quality is as per the standards set by the government.

The small traders also staged a demonstration a few days ago when the wheat purchasing committee refused to accept grain loaded in three trucks for its ‘poor’ quality.

The farmers alleged manipulation by the committee members.

Sher Ayaz Khan, the district food controller, who heads the wheat purchasing committee, told mediapersons that there wouldn’t be any compromise on quality of grain. He said an agriculture expert had been deputed at the collection point to check quality of grain.

He said the chief minister had directed that the committee members would be responsible if low quality wheat was bought.

Meanwhile, Liaqat Yousafzai, central general secretary of Kashtkar Coordination Council, urged the authorities to purchase wheat from small farmers to save them from financial losses.

Published in Dawn, May 26th, 2024