ISLAMABAD, March 30: Despite reports of a bumper wheat crop of over 22 million tons this year, the Federal Committee on Agriculture (FCA), which met on Tuesday, estimated the production at 21 million tons in an apparent move to help the landed gentry continue selling wheat at higher prices.

Sources in the FCA told Dawn on Wednesday that the meeting was informed that wheat production would be over 22 million tons and that it was a “golden opportunity” to lower its price to help the common man.

However, the agriculture minister asked the FCA to keep the estimated production figures at 21 million tons and opposed the move to project the production on the higher side.

“But by keeping the wheat production estimate low by one million tons, the interests of the bigger farmers have been served,” said a source who attended the FCA meeting. The government had fixed a target of 20.2 million tons for the wheat this year but due to timely rains there were reports of a bumper crop throughout the country including the rain-fed areas.

The source said the government was facing an embarrassing situation due to a surge in the prices of wheat flour (atta) and wanted to bring them down through administrative means as well as by encouraging increased production and by extending lucrative wheat support price to the farmers.

Another source who also attended the meeting said that officials from the Sindh government informed the FCA that farmers were selling wheat in the province at Rs 380 per 40 Kg as against the support price of Rs 400 per 40 Kg fixed by the government.

He said that the Agriculture Minister was requested to direct the government agencies to purchase the wheat from the growers, if the private sector was not buying at the government support price. The meeting was also told that recent heavy rains have brought some negative effects on the standing wheat crop.