SCA demands increase in purchase price of wheat, rice

Larkana: The Sindh Chamber of Agriculture (SCA), Larkana, on Saturday demanded raise in the purchase prices of wheat, rice, other agricultural produce and fixing rates of urea fertilizer, DAP, besides tighten imports, so that fall of dollar could be halted and the country become self-sufficient in grains.

In a monthly meeting held here today under the chairmanship of its President Syed Sirajul Oliya Rashidi in which Atta Muhammad Hub, Anwar Ali, Zulfikar Ali Baloch, Hussain Bakhsh Phulpoto, Riaz Shah and other members participated a unanimous resolution was passed urging the government that If domestic exports do not increase, the dollar will fall temporarily and 40 to 60 per cent increase is essential in agricultural production to increase exports.

They said that a percentage increase is required. In order to increase agricultural production, modern types of crops will have to be changed and lands will have to be levelled. They said that use of green manure should be increased.

Make agriculture an authority and the purchase price of wheat procurement should be fixed at Rs 2500 per 40 kg, Monji Basmati at Rs 3500 per 40 kg, Maize at Rs: 2100 per 40 kg, sugarcane at Rs450 per 40 kg, canola mustard sweet at Rs7000 per 40 kg, cotton at Rs8500 per 40 kg, Fertilizer DAP at Rs 8000 per sack and import five crore bags for the year and make available urea fertilizer in open market at Rs2100 per bag and produce 13 crore bags in the country. They said that if their suggestions are implemented then the country will not only become self-sufficient in food grains but it will be able to export.

They said that gas supply should be ensured to the manufacturing factories and its charges for the fertilizer factories should be increased 300% to ensure availability of required urea. They said that smuggling of urea and other items should be stopped at all costs.

They said that government will have to tighten the import conditions for the supply of agricultural medicines and tax should be deducted at Karachi port itself at the time of import and In this way, agricultural production will increase and we will not only be self-sufficient in grains and other commodities, but we can make our country prosperous by exporting these agricultural products.