THE echoes of the wheat crisis are raising in the halls of power and everyone is busy in declaring each other as culprit. In the current situation, the poor farmers are drowning, that are heard by no one. They are forced to protest on the streets and squares. The farmers were locked up in bars as a punishment. When the matter reached the media, human rights organizations and the world level, these oppressed farmers were released. After all, who will listen to these farmers? Who will compensate for their loss? Is there any solution to this wheat crisis? The wheat crisis started by ordering additional wheat from Ukraine.
On the other hand, one billion dollars’ worth of wheat was imported from Ukraine, which caused a loss of 300 billion to the country. It is also being heard that 85 billion was earned from this importation. Who earned it? Now there is no secret. The summary of wheat import was prepared by the Ministry of Food Security and approved by the caretaker government. Indeed, the decision to import wheat must have been made under the fear of wheat crisis during the caretaker government. The tragedy is that, poor farmers were forced to use expensive electricity, diesel, expensive fertilizers and expensive pesticides to grow the wheat crop and are now struggling to sell their wheat.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s establishment of an inquiry committee to investigate the wheat scandal is welcomed. According to the preliminary details of the government research report, it was decided to import 34 million wheats from Ukraine on October 2023. There were already 46 million tons of wheat reserves. Wheat farmers bought RS 4700 Wheat per ton and the government wheat whose warehouses were full remained safe. While the government of that time did not even try to bring down the rate by providing governmental wheat. This season 2024 Baisakhi festival has been celebrated with great fanfare and now there is no one to buy wheat from farmers and wheat mafia is waiting to extort huge prices from farmers.
In this regard, government should conduct a clear and transparent inquiry; determining those responsible. they should be punished for the economic murder of the six million farmers. The 34 lakh 49 thousand 436 metric tons of wheat imported is worth 282 billion 97 crores 50 lakhs. There were 40 lakhs of stocks before wheat harvest. The situation has reached this point due to the unwise policies of the rulers. The federal government agency is not buying wheat directly from the farmer in Pasco. If this has happened, then how will the farmer timely pay for the expensive electricity and fertilizer? The Chief Minister of Punjab should negotiate with the farmer leaders. It is also being said that defective wheat was bought from Ukraine under American pressure. It is necessary to resolve the current wheat crisis amicably. In the Rabi season, wheat is grown on 80% of the agricultural land. In the current year 2024, wheat was cultivated on 23.69 million acres. Its production in Punjab was more than last year.
Punjab is the largest province in terms of wheat cultivation and production, where 22.56 million tons of wheat are produced on 17.44 million acres. The production of wheat in Punjab is increasing. As in 1960, the production of wheat was 3,909 thousand metric tons. In the 80s, it was 10,857 thousand metric tons. And in 2000, it was 21,079 thousand metric tons. It was 25,247 thousand metric tons in 2020 and 26,801 thousand metric tons in 2023. This year is 32,100 thousand metric tons, which is enough for the domestic needs of the whole year. In 2024, 9.12 million hectares were dedicated to 40% of the wheat production. This time, as soon as the wheat reached the market, when it was time for the farmers to get the fruits of their labour, the government refused to buy the wheat.
Moreover, the Punjab Government raised the official rate of wheat to 3900 per ton and Sindh Government had set a rate of RS 4000 per ton. 14000 flour mills are working in the country. Now knowingly and unknowingly they will get benefit. Rather, they will also receive profits from government subsidies. We have been hearing for the past 76 years that Pakistan is an agricultural country and 70% of the population is engaged in agriculture. Despite this, sometimes we are suffering from sugar crisis and sometimes wheat crisis.
According to the report, federal institutions are responsible for the unnecessary import of wheat. In spite of having 40.47 lakh metric tons of reserves in Punjab, 35.87 lakh metric tons of wheat was ordered, which also created an artificial shortage. Further, the import of 10 lakh metric tons of wheat was allowed, but the import exceeded it. These wrong decisions caused a loss of one billion dollars to the national treasury. Therefore, due to this mismanagement in the current situation, the government will have to buy wheat. However, there is also the problem of storing surplus wheat. It shows the plight of our agriculture sector that no attention has been paid to increase the storage facility of the surplus crop and no official arrangement has been made.
The question is also that who will compensate the 50% economic loss of these wheat farmers? The national loss has been estimated at 380 billion rupees. The economy is in a bad state, the depreciation of the rupee continues and the treasury is empty, and the fact that the national economy has been injected with 300 billion rupees. It is said that even in the current government, five lakh tons of wheat was allowed to be imported under the private sector without the knowledge of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif investigated the wheat scandal. The establishment of the inquiry committee is welcomed.
According to the report, the public treasury suffered a loss of 3 billion 22 crores 20 lakhs in the purchase of wheat. The report calls for actions against the relevant officials. Large private sector wheat importers have also been found involved. it is not the first time that this has happened in our country; thus, should not be ignored. On the one hand, there is no flour in the country, a large section of the country is pushing to get flour, under such situations other mafias like, that of sugar, wheat, petrol, electricity, which will influence the country’s decisions. After all, why do governments become helpless in front of them? Why is the law not enforced against these blackmailers? Undoubtedly, the reforms of the Pakistan Army in the agricultural sector are commendable and the Chief of Army Staff General Aam Munir is not only committed to the completion of the “Green Pakistan Initiative” project to get rid of mafias in adverse conditions, but is also actively working in this regard.
—The writer is contributing columnist.
