President Asif Ali Zardari called for measures to ensure reasonable wheat prices, timely interventions, and streamlined procurement processes to safeguard farmers’ interests on Tuesday. Emphasizing the importance of supporting and encouraging farmers, President Zardari highlighted that such measures would boost wheat production in the country.
He expressed concern that farmers were not receiving fair prices for their wheat crops and faced difficulties obtaining wheat procurement bags (Bar Dana).
These comments were made during a meeting focused on wheat procurement issues in the country. Attendees included Minister for National Food Security and Research (NFS&R) Rana Tanveer Hussain, senior officials from the Ministry of NFS&R, and representatives from PASSCO, according to a statement from the President Secretariat Press Wing.
During the meeting, the president was briefed on the challenges farmers face in wheat procurement and the distribution of ‘bar dana’.
President Zardari pointed out that nearly 65 percent of the country’s population resides in rural areas, and providing farmers with adequate wheat prices would significantly bolster the rural economy.
He also stressed the importance of maintaining strategic food reserves to ensure food security and meet the country’s future food requirements. Additionally, he advocated for extending soft loans to the private sector for constructing silos and modern wheat storage facilities to cater to the needs of the growing population.
The president highlighted the need for reliable crop data to facilitate timely policy interventions and accurately predict the country’s future food needs. He also suggested deregulating the agriculture sector.
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