India providing Rs165 billion subsidy on electricity to farmers

LAHORE - Speakers at a special sitting organized by The Nation Forum on 'Inflation and wheat procurement price at Hameed Nizami Hall Friday urged the government to take more bold steps, besides fixing wheat procurement price of Rs 950 per 40kg, to save consumers from inflation and to increase wheat production in future.
They said government should spend at least Rs50 billion for subsidy to the public on food items out of Rs73 billion being presently spent on imported vehicles for top bureaucracy. Citing the example, they said that our neighbouring country India was providing subsidy of Rs340 billion over food items to their public.
Ibraheem Mughal, Chairman Pakistan Agri Forum, Bilal Ahmad Sufi, Honorary Advisor Flour Mills Associations, Umar Sarfaraz Cheema, President Water Council, Parvez Butt, General secretary Lahore Wheat Product Associations, Chaudhary Hamd Malik, Director Farmers Associations Pakistan (FAP), Aasim Raza, Chairman Flour Mills Associations and Haji Muhammad Yousaf, President Lahore Atta Dealers Association, expressed these views at a dialogue on How to control inflation in the light of prices of Flour.
Ibraheem Mughal said it was a fruitful decision taken by government to fix price Rs950 per 40kg before wheat production that was assumed Rs20.5m ton this year. He said Chief minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif also fulfilled the demand of Agri Forum to purchase 4 instead of Rs3.5m wheat this year in Punjab.
Ibraheem Mughal said but China could produce Rs10.3 million ton wheat by saving Rs30 million and Indian could produce Rs3.5 million ton more wheat on confined land by saving Rs30.7 million as compared to Pakistan government.
He said India was providing subsidy of Rs165b over electricity to the farmers, Rs162 billion over water and Rs360b over urea, which was the major reason of her progress in production.
Our production can increase if our government may fulfill deficiency of water, certified seeds and low rate urea to farmers of each province without any discrimination, he added.
Aasim Raza said government has not fixed price of wheat and flour for next year. Moreover it has increased mark up which was devastating industry and farmers were confused due to wrong steps of government.
One problem is of Afghanistan which has open market, but government has increased regulatory duties on our goods including wheat thats why we have lost that market, he added.
Bilal Ahmad Sufi, Honorary Advisor Flour Mills Associations, said government should prepare focused policy for coming five years like this year it achieved targeted results of production. He said as federal government has fixed price before time this year, encouraging farmers to produce maximum wheat. Likewise the government should remain aggressively in market so that artificial shortage of wheat and flour may not be repeated again like last year.
If government provides more subsidies on tractors, urea and makes wheat export free from provincial limitations then it will receive maximum benefits including tremendous harmony among all provinces, he added.
He said according to market mechanism the masses of every province would purchase flour 26 or 27 rupees per 1kg if government succeeds in launching the project of construction of Kala Bagh Dam without wasting time.
Chaudhry Hamid Malik said farmers were being exploited for last 60 years, they became fed up from government policies but this government has taken fruitful steps for the betterment of farmers as well as consumers. He said fixed price for this season was the main reason of vanishing of smuggling because farmer was receiving its actual right
Hamid Malik said mismanagement was the basic hurdle in the way of farmers benefit otherwise there was no matter of production, moreover, he said Pakistan government has been depending over single Indus river system as compared to India which has 17 river system from last 60 years.
Haji Muhammad Yousaf said government would provide relaxation over agri taxes so that dealer, sub-dealer and consumers may get maximum benefit from government policy.
Parveez Butt, on this occasion, said Rs 2 susti rooti scheme was beneficial for public but still it was waiting for complete implementation. He said former President General (r) Musharraf and PML-Q President Ch Shujaat did corruption creating artificial shortage of flour during their regime. He said government would have to fix price of wheat and flour for coming five years so that supply and demand may adjust at actual condition.
Umar Sarfaraz Cheema said government would have to provide direct subsidy, certified seed and premier to consumers then it would receive better quality of wheat.
At the end, speakers appreciated the vital role of Nawa-I-waqt and The Nation in progress of agriculture in country.