MULTAN, Sept 9: The farming community of southern Punjab has urged the government to announce the wheat procurement price before sowing of the crop in Sindh and Punjab. The speculative reports in this regard have created confusion giving vested interests an opportunity to use the situation to their benefit.

The farmers termed the reports in a section of the press regarding the minimum procurement price for the next wheat crop as ill-timed and misleading. The report indicated that the ministry of food and agriculture has decided to fix a minimum of Rs1,000 per 40 kg as procurement price for the coming wheat crop.

President Kissan Board Multan district, Fayazul Hassan Bhutta blamed the officials of the concerned ministry for the confusion and held them responsible for multiple problems in the sector.

He felt that the leak of the procurement price would sabotage the efforts of the Punjab government to address issues confronting the farming community. “The real purpose of such reports was to discourage the hoarders from bringing their stocks in the market in the hope of increase in the procurement price and push the prices higher in the market”.

Khwaja Muhammad Shoaib of Farmers Vision Forum said the sowing season of wheat starts in Sindh in October and in Punjab in November, hence the government should announce its procurement price on October 15.

A flour mill owner from Rahim Yar Khan told Dawn that after appearance of the reports in the press regarding the ministry’s suggestion to fix the procurement price to a minimum Rs1,000 per 40 kg, the brokers have become active and they have started contacts not only with the stockists but also the owners of those flour mills, which have stored the commodity.

He said that although it was necessary to fix a reasonable procurement price of wheat for the coming crop before the start of sowing season the government should restrain its people from circulating such reports before the final announcement.

He said that although Punjab government has announced to reduce its release price from Rs560 to Rs545 some two weeks ago, wheat was still being provided at Rs560, which is causing loss to the flour millers.

Federal Secretary Food, Agriculture and Livestock Zia-ur-Rehman was not available to give his comments on the issue.