Wheat Harvest 2009 | All Kinds of Pottery

Wheat Harvest

July 2nd, 2009 admin No comments

Wheat Harvest

PAKISTAN IMPORTING WHEATâWHERE LOCAL WHEAT HAS VANISHED:

PAKISTAN IMPORTING WHEATâ€”WHERE LOCAL WHEAT HAS VANISHED:

In the era of the last government wheat had to be imported from the foreign countries because local wheat stock couldnâ€™t meet the people's requirements. This was not only because of underproduction but also due to black marketing, smuggling and exceeding wheat export owing to higher prices they get from other nations. Due to the current shortage of wheat the Prime Minister had ordered immediate import from outside at a mass level and to allow export only at government level. A separate committee has been formed which has already told the cabinet that procurement targets for this year have been achieved, compared to the last year targets.The functions of thisÂ committee are to avoid food smuggling and to take strict measures for wheat security especially at inter-provincial level and to provide flour to the general public at affordable prices. This committee will be helped out by ministries of finance, food and agriculture, social welfare organizations and National Data Base Authority to make a fool proof method of providing wheat to the poor, fulfill the country's needs and avoid food crisis.The committee has also planned to ban wheat import by the private companies, after the new harvesting season , has ensured respectable money given to the farmers, facilitating bank loans, setting up new flour mills at the government and private level and providing urea fertilizers to improve wheat production. Wheat prices are also set at a new level to give encouragement to the local farmers on one hand and avoiding burden to the consumers on the otherÂ hand.With this new program and with the help of other ministries, it is hoped that wheat import will occur only at government level and wheat smuggling and black marketing could be avoided.The rising prices and acute shortages of atta (wheat), a staple in Pakistan, are clearly distressing to the people. However, putting it in perspective, this wheat crisis is not lonely to Pakistan. There are common fears of food shortages and lack of affordability inÂ many countries around the world.Â

According to a recent report in Wall Street Journal, the prices of Illinois corn and soybeans rose 40% and 75%, respectively, from a year ago. Kansas wheat is up 70% or more. And a growing number of economists and agribusiness executives think the run-ups could last as long as a decade, raising the cost of all kinds of food.

The Government of Pakistan then decided to make smaller wheat purchases, rather than a single 1 million ton purchase. Pakistani officials cited overbooking at the Port of Karachi and the problems berthing larger vessels as well as the need for a monthly review of the wheat situation as reasons for moving away from a single tender. They have also implied that they may lift the ban on private imports. The Government of Pakistan could provide a subsidy for the imported wheat to cover the differential between the Government Issue price and the import price.Â
Clearly, Pakistan view a perfect storm scenario on wheat in 2007 with an overly hopeful wheat crop estimate, a well-intentioned decision to lift the four-year wheat export ban to raise farm prices, severe weather conditions in the major world wheat production areas, and increased demand during Ramadan. In hindsight, lowering the official crop estimate should have had the same effect on farm prices as exports, while keeping more wheat within Pakistan. This report clearly spells out some of the miss-steps by Pakistani Government leading up to the current crisis

Zahid malik

Iqra University

Islamabad

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Zahid malik

Iqra University

Islamabad