OKARA, June 11: Maize growers are facing heavy losses for they are being offered much less price for their produce, mainly due to the closure of some 25 per cent poultry farms in the district as to the result of bird flu virus factor.

This was claimed by Anjuman-i-Arhtian president Chaudhry Ikramul Haq here on Sunday.

He said the Okara district produced 80 per cent maize of the country’s total yield, but the Grain Market was receiving only 25,000 to 30,000 bags of 100kg in a day.

Currently, he said the price of maize for per 40kg bag was ranging from Rs250 to Rs285, which was almost Rs100 less than the last year’s price.

Poultry farm owner Amir Razzaq claimed that the bird flu virus inflicted heavy financial losses to poultry farmers, which, in turn, registered a sharp decline in maize prices during the current season.

He said the feed mills business had dropped up to 25 per cent, which had its worst affect on maize prices.

Rafhan, the biggest buyer of the maize crop, has still not started its purchase despite providing incentives to growers for sowing more maize crop.

The company is reluctant to begin purchase even from growers with whom it had made agreements because of the availability of tphe commodity in abundance in the market at much lower prices.

It was learnt that the company had an agreement with growers to purchase maize at Rs300 per 40kg.

Representatives of growers, including potato growers president Mian Muhammad Siddiq, FAP’s maize wing director Dr Afzaal Ali Rizvi, Anjuman-i-Zamindaran president Abid Ali Khan and Chaudhry Muhammad Maqsood, alleged that farmers, particularly maize and potato growers, were facing losses due to wrong policies of the government.

They alleged that the Yousafwala maize research farm in the Sahiwal district had never provided proper maize seeds, while multinational companies were earning huge profits on that account.

They said reports were that the government had finally decided to wind up the maize research farm.

Growers demanded that the government should also provide maize procurement facility through the Passco, besides establishing processing units in Okara for a healthy competition with the private sector.