WHILE confirming the import of insect-infected wheat by the caretaker government, Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer has formed another inquiry committee to investigate irregularities and negligence committed in the import. This is the second inquiry committee formed within a week on the issue, as the first one, constituted by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, was headed by the Secretary, Cabinet Division.
It is strange that the entire focus remains on the import of wheat while the real issue is the lack of a clear policy on the part of the federal and provincial governments to save farmers from huge losses due to rapid fall in the prices of the commodity in the open market. The government is taking refuge behind the lame excuses that its silos are already full with imported wheat and, therefore, it cannot raise its procurement targets. All other issues become irrelevant before the need for protection of interests of the farmers who produced a bumper crop in line with the slogan of the successive governments to ensure food security. No doubt, import of unnecessary and infected wheat is a mega scandal as it amounted to sheer wastage of over $1 billion of the hard earned foreign exchange but this should not become a reason to leave farmers at the mercy of circumstances as such an approach of the government will have serious implications for future of the staple food of the country. No one would oppose a transparent inquiry, fixation of the responsibility and making officials involved accountable but the issue of import should be delinked from the wheat procurement process because of obvious consequences.
