ISLAMABAD:
To safeguard farmers’ interests, President Asif Ali Zardari called on the government on Tuesday to provide a fair price for wheat, intervene promptly, and streamline the procurement procedure.
He added that farmers should be supported and encouraged, which, he said, would help the country produce more wheat.
He regretted that farmers had difficulty obtaining wheat procurement bags and could not negotiate a fair price for their crop (Bar Dana).
During a meeting to discuss issues pertaining to the country’s wheat procurement, the president expressed these views. According to a statement released by the President Secretariat Press Wing, Rana Tanveer Hussain, Minister for National Food Security and Research (NFS&R), as well as senior members of the Ministry of NFS&R and PASSCO attended the meeting.
Read: A judicial investigation into the wheat scandal is required During the meeting, the president was informed about the challenges farmers face when purchasing wheat and receiving “bar dana.”
Talking on the event, the president featured that very nearly 65% of the country’s populace was dwelling in provincial regions and giving sufficient wheat cost to ranchers would assist with helping the rustic economy.
He emphasized the importance of maintaining strategic food reserves to ensure food security and meet the nation’s future food needs, and he suggested that the private sector be given soft loans to build silos and modern wheat storage facilities to meet the population’s growing food needs.
The president emphasized the importance of having reliable crop data to accurately forecast the nation’s future food requirements and make timely policy adjustments. Additionally, he suggested liberalizing the agricultural industry.
