ISLAMABAD - The federal government here on Saturday ordered PASCO to procure 1 million tons rice paddy from the farmers to stabilise the price of the product in the market for the farmers and to save them from the industrialists' exploitation. The government felt it necessary to intervene in the market to ensure the availability of better price to farmers of their produce. If the government had not intervened, the farmers were not likely to get the rationalized price of their product and the traders could exploit them by offering them lesser price of their product. Official sources while talking to TheNation said that the government had announced the support price of Irri rice paddy at Rs 700 per 40 kilogram and the price for the supreme quality rice paddy would be announced in November. As presently the Irri rice was at a matured stage, so it was being brought in the market but the supreme rice would get matured in November. The decision was taken in a high- level meeting led by Nazar Mohammad Gondal, Minister for Food, Agriculture and Livestock. During the meeting PASCO was directed to establish 35 purchase centres in the rice producing areas of the country. Out of these 35 centres 24 will be located in Punjab, 8 in Sindh and 3 in Balochistan. The decision was earlier taken in the ECC meeting and in continuation of the policy a meeting was held in the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock on Saturday in which price of Irri rice paddy and establishment of 35 purchase centres were finalized. Currently the government has decided to procure 1 million tons of rice paddy and that limit could also further be enhanced depending on the market conditions. The prices of agricultural inputs had increased many times and as such a price less than Rs 700 per 40 kg for the Irri rice paddy could go against the interests of the farmers. Federal Minister for Food, Agriculture and Livestock, Nazar Mohammad Gondal has said that PASCO had the most important agriculture based mechanism in the country for the stability of prices of agriculture products, so the MINFAL had decided to increase its role and effectiveness.