MULTAN, March 26: Having termed the government wheat procurement price as unjustified, the farming community of southern Punjab has announced not to sell its wheat crop to the government.

It said that a wrong strategy would destroy the agriculture economy and would create a greater wheat crisis in future as compared to the one being faced by the country.

Jamil Bokhari, central president Kisan Wing of Pakistan Muslim League-N and a progressive farmer from Muzaffargarh told Dawn on Wednesday that on the one hand, farmers were forced to purchase inputs for their wheat crop on international market price without any subsidy provided by the government, while on the other hand, they were not able to get the price of their produce at par with the international market price.

He said that when the elections had been held and the farmers had elected their representatives, the caretaker government had no authority to announce the procurement price.

He said that the price of DAP had increased from Rs800 to Rs3,200 and the fertiliser was not even available at this price in the market.

He said that the country could only progress when the government gives priority to the agriculture sector because the industrial sector has failed to compete in the international market.

Rasheed Khan Langah, president Kisan Board, Tehsil Rajanpur, said that the farmers would not sell their crop to the government because the problems being faced by the farming community was the result of the wrong policies of government departments.

He said that farmers had decided not to sow wheat crop next year if the government tried to deprive them of the reasonable price of their crop.

Khawaja Muhammad Shoaib of Farmers Vision Forum said that the caretaker government did not announce the procurement price at the time of sowing of wheat despite repeated requests from the farmers, who were assured that the government would purchase the wheat crop according to the open market rates.

He said that due to the non-fixation of the procurement price of wheat at its proper time farmers cultivated the crop at less area as compared the to the last year and preferred to sow other crops, including sunflower.

He said that that farmers community rejected the procurement price announced by the interim government.

Mr Shoaib said that in the international market the lowest price of per ton wheat was $400 and the Trading Corporation of Pakistan had imported wheat at $653 per ton, while the government had announced Rs510 per maund and the farmer would get only $205 against per ton.

He said that it would be impossible to control the smuggling of wheat when its prices were higher in the neighbouring countries as compared to the prices at home. Besides, hoarders and smugglers would become more active causing shortages for the people.