LAHORE, May 6: The Lahore High Court (LHC) has sought report and para-wise comments from federal and provincial agricultural ministries and the Punjab Home Department in two weeks in a petition against government’s role in fixing the price of wheat.

Petitioner Muhammad Farooq Bajwa, a wheat grower, says that Prime Minister Yusuf Gilani fixed on March 29 the wheat price at Rs625 per 40 kilogramme, which was illegal. He said the government did not help farmers grow the crops as they were forced to buy diesel, fertilizers, pesticides and other agri items on the rates prescribed by the government. He added the farmers were not consulted before fixing prices of wheat or diesel, fertilisers and pesticides.

He said the prices of diesel, fertilizers and pesticides were fixed in accordance with the international market rates but the standard was not followed in the price of wheat.

He said this year average yield was low because of unfavorable climate and unavailability of water in most of the areas of the province. He added the government imported wheat at expensive rates but underpaid its farmers.

He said the federal government had directed the Punjab government to buy what at these rates forcefully. He said the provincial government was using coercive measures to buy wheat from farmers by excluding floor mills and local dealers from the purchasing process.

He prayed the court to restrain the respondents from forcing the farmers to sell their yield on the prices fixed the government.