Pakistan: PM Shehbaz Sharif raises wheat procurement target amid farmer protests

Islamabad [Pakistan], April 28 : Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has finally responded to farmer protests in his country over delays in the grain's buying process by ordering an increase in the wheat procurement target from USD 1.4 million tonnes to USD 1.8 million tonnes, Dawn reported.
Further, Sharif has instructed the Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation Limited (Passco), Pakistan's national grain procurement and storage agency, to expedite the buying process to assist growers.
According to Dawn, these directives were issued by the Prime Minister before his departure for Saudi Arabia to attend the World Economic Forum meeting, as per a statement from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).
The official press release stated that decision "a big relief" for farmers, adding that it was taken following complaints from wheat growers.
"The prime minister has taken the initiative keeping in view the problems confronting the growers regarding the sale of wheat," it said.
In addition to raising the wheat procurement target, Sharif instructed Passco to prioritize transparency and facilitate growers, as per Dawn.
A bumper crop output has been projected for this season and wheat threshing has already begun in most parts of Punjab, the largest wheat-producing province in the county.
However, farmers raised complaints against the Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation Limited that it was not purchasing wheat and flour mills were "exploiting them" by offering rates lower than the government-mandated support price for their crops.
The Sindh and Balochistan governments have established the support price at (Pakistani currency) PKR 4,000 per 40kg, while the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab governments have set it at PKR 3,900 per 40kg.
Farmers expressed frustration as their production costs have doubled over the past year, yet they are compelled to sell their produce at last year's rates or even lower.
This contentious issue has sparked heated debates in both the National and Punjab Assemblies this week.
The National Assembly was told that official procurement has slowed as the caretaker government imported wheat despite having a bumper crop.
National Food Security Minister Rana Tanveer admitted the decision was "wrong", and the prime minister has already ordered an inquiry into it.
He added that the ministry would write letters to provincial governments to procure maximum wheat from the farmers.
Opposition member Sheikh Waqas Akram warned the government that farmers would be on the streets soon and "the rulers would not be able to face the brunt".
The farmers have staged protests in several areas and demanded the government increase the support price.
Addressing a press conference earlier this month, the Kisan Board Pakistan president, Sardar Zafar Hussain, urged the government to procure at least five million tonnes of wheat in the current season and raise the support to PKR 5,000 per 40kg.
He alleged that the government was "deliberately delaying" the procurement campaign because of which the prices in the open market were declining.