TOBA TEK SINGH, Nov 23: Farmers have rejected the recently announced Rs300 per 40 kilograms support price for wheat for next season.

Hundreds of farmers attended a protest meeting at Kamalia on Friday which was addressed by former federal minister and PML(N) leader Chaudhry Asadur Rehman, Kamalia market committee former administrator Chaudhry Mukhtar Ahmad Nusrat, Rana Ghulam Qadir, Saqlain Abbas, Akbar Ali Shah, Habibur Rehman and others.

They said during previous season, the farmers were disgraced at the wheat procurement centres of Passco and food department and were asked to bring ‘export quality’ wheat at the centres so they were forced to sell their produce to middle men or to commission agents at much lower rates.

They stated that the farmers were receiving the same treatment by the sugar mills owners. Not a single mill in the district has started crushing sugarcane as a result of which the farmers were unable to sow wheat because they used the land after harvesting sugarcane for wheat cultivation.

The shortage of irrigation water was adding to their problems, they added.

Meanwhile, a source said here on Friday the irrigation department was again closing the canals from Nov 25. The water supply was restored a few days ago and if the supply remained suspended, the farmers would not be able to sow wheat.

EXAM SYSTEM: A new examination system will be introduced in the Punjab in phases from the academic year 2003 and experts have been selected to prepare proposals in this regard.

This was stated here on Friday by Government Premsati College, Kamalia, principal Dr Mian Arif Salim who has been selected as an expert.

He said a five-day conference would be held from Nov 26 to 30 at Lahore under the auspices of Punjab Directorate of Staff Development in this regard. Representatives of all eight education boards of province would attend the conference and present their proposals to improve the examination system, he added.

PRICE HIKE: The administration has failed to control prices of daily use items despite tall claims.

The prices of fruit and vegetable have arisen sharply since the start of Ramazan. Similarly, the prices of mutton and chicken went up considerably.