Larkana-harvests-1.5-million-acres-of-bumper-wheat-cropFresh wheat crop grown on both sides of Indus River has started entering the market across Larkana Division. Traders are doing a roaring business as they procure 40 kilogrammes between Rs 950 to 1000, inflicting a loss between Rs 250 to 300 to the growers.
Wheat was sown on approximately 1.6 million acres in five districts of the Larkana Division. The bumper crop is likely to produce nearly 1.5 million metric tons.
However, no wheat procurement centres have been established to date by the Sindh Government. There hasn’t been any announcement of wheat support price so far, due to which tillers are expected to face huge losses.
Sources in the Food Department claimed that their godowns are still full of wheat from last year since those stocks have not yet been consumed and cleared.
The department also failed to float tenders for the procurement of Bardana because of the ongoing alleged corruption inquiries in the NAB.
Last year, the Sindh Government fixed a price of Rs 1300 per 40 kg bag of wheat. Yet, this year, nothing of the sort had been decided. The provincial government has not even fixed any procurement target, set at 2.3 million bags last year.
Sindh Abadgar Board’s representative, Ishaque Mugheri, noted that the farmers have also started harvesting the wheat crop in the Kambar-Shahdadkot district, which has also reached the market.
The rate of the fresh produce has been fixed by the purchasers between Rs 950 to 1000 per 40 kg as compared to Rs 1300 in last year, he added.
Mugheri said that the Sindh Government had neither opened procurement centres nor fixed price as yet. Due to this, growers were forced to sell their produce on cheaper rates in the market, he continued while appealing to the authorities to take some action in this regard to save poor tillers.