LAHORE – Pakistan Mutthida Kisan Mahaz (PMKM) has convened a convention of growers from all over Punjab on May 06 to discuss situation arising out of delay in wheat procurement by federal and provincial governments. This is not only causing lot of mental stress to growers but has also brought down the wheat prices to Rs 810 to 900 per 40 kilograms in the open market.

‘This representative convention of the growers will discuss all the factors resulting in delay in wheat procurement by governments and lowering of wheat rates and devise a future line of action to ensure due price of wheat to the farmers,’ said PMKM Chief Muhammad Ayub Khan Mayo while addressing a press conference here on Thursday. He criticised that some so-called growers’ leaders were giving impression that there was 50 per cent damage to the wheat crop due to weather changes.  Ayub Mayo said that present wet spell had not caused any significant damage to wheat and it was lying open in the fields and governments should make immediate arrangements to buy it, otherwise it may be damaged due to any further weather changes. 
He demanded the government to distribute gunny bags among common small growers instead of awarding to near and dear ones. He said that the Punjab government should ask the federal government to give it money equal to buying 5 million tons of wheat so growers could get suitable price of their produce.  He said that small growers in the province should be provided gunny bags in next 72 hours and the Central government should announced to buy at least 3 million tons of wheat from Punjab through Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation (PASSCO).
He also urged the government to allow Punjab to export wheat through an ordinance as it would help stabilise the prices of wheat in the open market and facilitate the growers.  He said that he had also written a letter to CM Punjab apprising him all the crises like situation for wheat growers and urged him to take steps on emergent basis.
 for buying wheat from farmers of Punjab province, which produce 70 per cent of the total wheat production of the country. He also invited him to participate in wheat growers’ convention on next Sunday in the provincial metropolis.