ISLAMABAD, NOV 15 /DNA/ – Business leader and former President of the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI), Dr. Shahid Rasheed Butt, said on Friday that measures should be taken to save the country from the expected wheat crisis; otherwise, the issue of food security will worsen.
He said that despite being an agricultural country, Pakistan imports wheat, cotton, pulses, fruits, vegetables, and milk due to policymakers’ lack of interest.
He added that the procurement and storage issues are not satisfactory, and no special facility is provided to the farmers, which is affecting production.
Shahid Rasheed Butt said in a statement issued here today that policymakers do not take the cost of the farmers into account while determining the purchase price.
Every time during the procurement campaign, the farmers complain of mismanagement. At the same time, the problems of hoarding, smuggling, lousy weather, and price differences between provinces also contribute to the frustration among farming communities.
Shahid Rasheed Butt said that due to the falling prices of wheat, the fear of a food crisis and a decrease in its production has started to appear.
Farmers seem reluctant to grow wheat because the rates of fertilizer, water, diesel, electricity, seeds, transportation, and pesticides have increased manifold in the last two years, while planters still need to get the rates fixed by the government.
Despite the country’s abundant wheat, the caretaker government allowed the private sector to import a substantial quantity of wheat unnecessarily, which caused a loss of at least three hundred billion rupees to the national exchequer and broke the backs of farmers.
He informed that a committee had been constituted to investigate the matter, but its findings were still awaited, which is a common practice.
The business leader said that wheat and sugar scandals have been coming to light for years in Pakistan, causing billions of dollars in losses, but the real culprits were never exposed or punished.
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