Wheat Growers Suffer Delay In Opening Of Procurement Centers

HYDERABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st Apr, 2019 ) :The Sindh Chamber of Agriculture (SCA) has deplored delay wheat procurement in Sindh adding that the unprecedented delay is causing financial losses to the wheat growers.

The SCA at its meeting chaired by President Qabool Muhammad Khatian here Sunday decried that for the first time in history the provincial government had not opened a single center in Sindh even by April 20.

"The delay in the official wheat procurement has exposed the wheat farmers to exploitation," he said, pointing out that against the provincial government fixed rate of Rs1,300 per 40kg wheat, the traders in the open market were paying only Rs1,050 to Rs1,150. "This is a big injustice to the farmers," he observed.

The meeting also expressed grave concern over the shortage of water particularly in Thatta, Sujawal and Badin district where the people could not even get drinking water. The farmers' representatives at the meeting also expressed worry over the continuously rising cost of the agricultural inputs like fertilizer, pesticides, diesel and other inputs.

They urged the government to control and reduce the rates of the inputs because the farmers were not being paid adequate price for their crops.

"Around 250 million people associated with agriculture in Sindh are suffering directly as a consequence of the low crop prices and high rates of inputs besides other problems," said Khatian.

The meeting requested the Federal Government and Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) to take up the issue of imposition of 200 percent duty on imports of dates from Pakistan to India.

They deplored that the neighbouring country had imposed heavy duty on dates import from Pakistan and requested the federal authorities to immediately search alternate markets for export of dates.

The farmers at the meeting asked the Sindh Government to provide Rs5,000 per acre subsidy to the growers of soybean crop following the subsidy being given by the Punjab government.

The farmers also asked the provincial government to maintain cleanliness in the vegetable markets in the province.

The SCA's General Secretary Zahid Hussain Bhurgari and other office bearers and members of the chamber including Syed Aijaz Nabi Shah, Nabi Bux Sathio, Ghulam Hassan Chachar, Ghulam Mujtaba Unar, Nisar Hussain Khaskheli and others attended.

The farmers' representatives from Karachi, Sukkur, Ghotki and Sanghar attended the meeting through the video link.