ISLAMABAD:Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research (NFS&R), Syed Fakhar Imam Monday said that Minimum Support Price (MSP) of wheat must be finalized before the start of sowing season.
He said this while chairing a meeting of the Wheat Review Committee for the season 2021-22, said a press release issued here.
Representatives of all Provincial Food Departments, PASSCO and senior officials of NFS&R attended the meeting.
The minister invited the participant to share their feedback and recommendations to ensure food security in the country.
The minister was apprised of the latest wheat production estimates, wheat stock positions, wheat carry forward and procurement progress and update on wheat release price and minimum support price.
Fakhar Imam said that every year almost 5 to 6 million people were added to the population which increased the total demand of wheat of the country.
He said that through managing the controllable factors which include availability of high quality of seed that was rust resistant and certified, effective utilization of water and proper usage of fertilizers and pesticides, overall production of wheat could be increased significantly.
He stressed that the overall area under cultivation and per hectare yield needed to be increased.
The minister sensitized the provincial food departments about the timely finalization of the MSP of the crop.
He was briefed that the provinces had submitted their MSP proposals and were awaiting cabinet approvals.
The meeting was told that Punjab and KPK had finalized its wheat release policy at Rs 1950 per 40 kg whereas retail price would be Rs 1100 per 20 kg while the Sindh province had yet to get final approval from its cabinet for its wheat release policy.
The meeting was apprised by the provincial agricultural departments about the latest production figures of wheat.
Punjab’s production is estimated at 20.9 MMT, Sindh’s production at 4.04 MMT, whereas KPK and GB’s production estimates stand at 1.45 and 1.15 MMT. Total wheat stock available with Punjab stands at 3.86 MMT, Sindh’s at 1.26 MMT, KPK’s at 0.18 MMT and Baluchistan’s at 0.085 MMT.
Fakhar Imam said that the government had been focusing on availability of certified seed and for the upcoming season, around 530,000 metric tons seed would be available including 160,000 tons rust-tolerant varieties.
He said that government’s enhancement of MSP from Rs 1400 to Rs 1800 produced a good result which helped the country in harvesting the highest crop (27.5 million tons). A number of factors helped in achieving this historic production including favorable weather conditions, availability of certified seed (513,000 Ton), availability of fertilizers and irrigation water, etc, he added.
Fakhar Imam said that the government wished to formulate a policy where every stakeholder was heard and all concerns were addressed.
The minister said that an informed policy would be made before the sowing season to enhance wheat productivity and overall production.
He also assured GB and AJ&K that the federal government was fully willing to supply the wheat to crop deficit areas from PASSCO’s stock.