The delay in announcement of wheat support price would create serious crisis as it would decrease area under wheat cultivation that would ultimately lead to food crisis, said members of National Assembly Standing Committee on National Food Security and Research (NFS&R) on Thursday. They said that delayed announcement of wheat support price would badly affect production in the next season and the government had to import wheat to meet the domestic demand.
The meeting presided over by Chairman Malik Shakir Bashir Awan was attended by MNA Muhammad Safdar, Chaudhry Naseer Ahmad, Chaudhry Iftikhar Nazir, Rao Muhammad Ajmal Khan, Syed Iftikhar Hussain, Pir Shafqat Hussain Jilani, Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Hussain Qureshi, Junaid Akbar, Shahida Akhtar Ali, Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research (NFS&R), Sikandar Hayyat Khan Bosan, Iftikhar Ahmad Rao, additional secretary (NFS&R) and other senior officials.
Sikandar Hayat Khan Bosan told the committee that he endorsed the support price should have been announced two months ago, but provinces were not interested in increasing the support price. "We have consulted provinces in this regard and some provinces have given their response which shows that they are not interested in increasing support price of wheat," he said.
The committee directed NFS&R to ensure the presence of provincial secretaries of Agriculture during the next meeting which would be held soon to fix wheat support price to avoid further delay in this regard.
Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Hussain Qureshi said that the cultivation of wheat had started while the wheat support prices had not yet been announced. He said that the delay in the announcement of wheat support price would badly discourage the crop's cultivation.
He said that after devolution of Ministry of Food and Agriculture the leading role of agriculture policy making had been shifted from the federal government to provinces, but unfortunately provinces had no capacity in this regard due to which food security was under threat. He said that the provincial governments supposed to look after this critical sector, had not given the requisite funds. This was alarming and showed the lack of priority given to this important sector, he said. Some functions of the Ministry, Shah Mahmood said, had been transferred to the provinces, while some functions had been distributed among 4 federal ministries resulting in utter confusion and inaction, he said.
He said that after devolution of the MFS&R, the meeting of this committee would be useless without provincial representatives.
Shah Mahmood also raised the issue of the phutti price (seed cotton). He conveyed the sentiments of the growers of southern Punjab and Sindh on the irrationally low price of phutti and expressed disappointment with the government. Farmers were getting Rs.2800-2900 per 40 kg, which was the same they got last year, whereas the dollar had shot up to almost Rs 110, he observed.
"So the farmer is even being deprived of the benefit of the exchange rate at the hands of a small but powerful lobby," he further said.
He said that Pakistan had the installed capacity to produce enough urea to meet national requirements, but because of myopic government policies and non-availability of gas to fertiliser plants, Pakistan was to import urea fertiliser when depleting foreign exchange reserves was a major issue.
Rao Muhammad Ajmal Khan also said that delay in announcement of wheat support price would badly affect small farmers in the country as the input cost had increased to a great extent. He said that due to lack of water reservoir, the country could face acute shortage of water during the next five to seven years, which would hamper the country's agriculture production. There was a dire need to set up water reservoirs in the country to avert water shortage in future, he said.
He said, "We need to facilitate researchers as we do not need atom bomb we need food for our children."
Chaudhry Nazeer Ahmad said that India had given subsidy to farmers due to which our farmers unable to compete them. "When some crops produced in good quantity in India, the formers sent them to Pakistani market, however Pakistani formers are not allow to do so," he said, adding "We need to form laws like India to protect the interest of our farmers."
Sikandar Bosan said that the development budget of the Ministry of Agriculture, which was Rs.25 billion at the time of devolution, had shrunk to Rs. 0.75 billion presently.
The meeting presided over by Chairman Malik Shakir Bashir Awan was attended by MNA Muhammad Safdar, Chaudhry Naseer Ahmad, Chaudhry Iftikhar Nazir, Rao Muhammad Ajmal Khan, Syed Iftikhar Hussain, Pir Shafqat Hussain Jilani, Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Hussain Qureshi, Junaid Akbar, Shahida Akhtar Ali, Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research (NFS&R), Sikandar Hayyat Khan Bosan, Iftikhar Ahmad Rao, additional secretary (NFS&R) and other senior officials.
Sikandar Hayat Khan Bosan told the committee that he endorsed the support price should have been announced two months ago, but provinces were not interested in increasing the support price. "We have consulted provinces in this regard and some provinces have given their response which shows that they are not interested in increasing support price of wheat," he said.
The committee directed NFS&R to ensure the presence of provincial secretaries of Agriculture during the next meeting which would be held soon to fix wheat support price to avoid further delay in this regard.
Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Hussain Qureshi said that the cultivation of wheat had started while the wheat support prices had not yet been announced. He said that the delay in the announcement of wheat support price would badly discourage the crop's cultivation.
He said that after devolution of Ministry of Food and Agriculture the leading role of agriculture policy making had been shifted from the federal government to provinces, but unfortunately provinces had no capacity in this regard due to which food security was under threat. He said that the provincial governments supposed to look after this critical sector, had not given the requisite funds. This was alarming and showed the lack of priority given to this important sector, he said. Some functions of the Ministry, Shah Mahmood said, had been transferred to the provinces, while some functions had been distributed among 4 federal ministries resulting in utter confusion and inaction, he said.
He said that after devolution of the MFS&R, the meeting of this committee would be useless without provincial representatives.
Shah Mahmood also raised the issue of the phutti price (seed cotton). He conveyed the sentiments of the growers of southern Punjab and Sindh on the irrationally low price of phutti and expressed disappointment with the government. Farmers were getting Rs.2800-2900 per 40 kg, which was the same they got last year, whereas the dollar had shot up to almost Rs 110, he observed.
"So the farmer is even being deprived of the benefit of the exchange rate at the hands of a small but powerful lobby," he further said.
He said that Pakistan had the installed capacity to produce enough urea to meet national requirements, but because of myopic government policies and non-availability of gas to fertiliser plants, Pakistan was to import urea fertiliser when depleting foreign exchange reserves was a major issue.
Rao Muhammad Ajmal Khan also said that delay in announcement of wheat support price would badly affect small farmers in the country as the input cost had increased to a great extent. He said that due to lack of water reservoir, the country could face acute shortage of water during the next five to seven years, which would hamper the country's agriculture production. There was a dire need to set up water reservoirs in the country to avert water shortage in future, he said.
He said, "We need to facilitate researchers as we do not need atom bomb we need food for our children."
Chaudhry Nazeer Ahmad said that India had given subsidy to farmers due to which our farmers unable to compete them. "When some crops produced in good quantity in India, the formers sent them to Pakistani market, however Pakistani formers are not allow to do so," he said, adding "We need to form laws like India to protect the interest of our farmers."
Sikandar Bosan said that the development budget of the Ministry of Agriculture, which was Rs.25 billion at the time of devolution, had shrunk to Rs. 0.75 billion presently.
News Source: Business Recorder News Collected: agrinfobank.com Team
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