SINDH Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has announced a major Rs55 billion relief package for farmers, setting the wheat support price at Rs3,500 per 40kg and offering subsidized fertilizer to small growers to ease the burden of rising cultivation costs.
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, he said the provincial government planned to procure between 0.8 and 1.2 million tonnes of wheat during the 202526 harvest season. Under the new package, small farmers will receive one bag of DAP and two bags of urea per acre at subsidized rates.
This is a timely initiative in the backdrop of large-scale damage to agriculture during recent floods, necessitating incentives for farmers to motivate them to grow more to meet not only growing needs of the country but also surplus for exports. It can be said without fear of contradiction that the PPP always proved its credentials as pro-people and pro-farmers as it took measures for their welfare during its tenures. The country deregulated wheat procurement under the influence of the IMF but credit goes to PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari for convincing the Federal Government to reverse the decision. The PPP was also campaigning for a wheat procurement price of Rs. 4,000 per forty kilograms but then agreed to the federally-approved rate of Rs. 3,500. The Chief Minister further announced that the proposed three-fold increase in agricultural income tax had been deferred, with the previous 15 per cent rate restored due to ground realities. It is hoped that the relief package will not only minimize difficulties of farmers but also lead to an increase in production.
