ISLAMABAD: The federal and Sindh governments are at loggerheads over minimum support price for the next wheat crop.
Adviser to Prime Minister on Finance Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh on Wednesday held a virtual meeting with Sindh Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah to discuss the optimum wheat support price crop for FY21.
National Food Security & Research Syed Fakhar Imam, along with finance and national food security secretaries, also participated in the meeting.
As per the sources, the federal government, during the meeting, proposed Rs1,785 as wheat support price, which was Rs185 more the ECC approved price of Rs1,600. The increase was proposed after the Sindh government had announced Rs2,000 as wheat support price for next wheat crop.
The advisor asked the Sindh CM to look “at a holistic picture to determine the minimum wheat support price, keeping in view its long-term financial implications”.
He called for a coherent wheat support price across the country and stressed the need for agreeing upon a well-coordinated support price to strike a balance between producers and consumers and ensure maximum productivity during FY21.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Imran Khan had directed the finance advisor to sit with the Sindh CM and resolve the support price issue.
It may be noted that the food ministry had earlier proposed Rs1,745 as wheat support price, but the ECC had fixed the same at Rs1,600, much to ire of the farmers’ community.
