Farmers get a subsidy of Rs 24,700. per hectares for the purchase of urea and DAP fertilizer
KARACHI:
The Sindh government has urged the Center to announce a support price for wheat at the national level to protect the interests of farmers who are facing increasing financial pressure.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Sindh Agriculture Minister Sardar Muhammad Bakhsh Mahar said that under the conditions imposed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), provincial governments are not allowed to set support prices independently without a directive from the centre.
“Farmers are under severe stress because the support price for wheat has not been fixed yet,” he said, urging the federal government to announce a minimum support price of Rs 4,200. per mound (40 kg) without further delay.
The minister said the Central Executive Committee of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) had also demanded fixing of wheat price in its meeting a day earlier. He warned that if farmers were not assured of a reasonable return, many might abandon wheat cultivation and switch to other crops, potentially triggering a food crisis in the country.
Highlighting Sindh’s efforts to support the farming community, Sardar Mahar said that the provincial government has launched a Rs.56 billion wheat farmers support program where farmers will get a subsidy of Rs.24,700. per hectares for the purchase of urea and DAP fertilizer.
“This facility will benefit 411,000 farmers who own between one and 25 hectares of land,” he said, adding that 132,601 farmers have already been registered while the registration process for others is underway.
He further informed that Sindh has also earmarked additional Rs8 billion for small farmers and haris under Hari Card Scheme. The minister said that the distribution of 52,993 new Hari cards through Sindh Bank branches across the province is underway.
Sardar Mahar clarified that the Hari Card Scheme is completely separate from the Rs 56 billion wheat support package.
He further stated that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has issued special directives to ensure maximum relief and facilities for farmers in Sindh.
