First high-level meeting of Wheat Management Committee held

ISLAMABAD, Oct 6 (APP): Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanver Hussain on Tuesday said that an effective support price was essential to ensure appropriate compensation for farmers for their hard work as well as to enhance output of all major crops in order to ensure food safety and security in the country.

The first high-level meeting of the Wheat Management Committee was held under the joint chairmanship of Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain and Adviser to the Prime Minister Rana Sanaullah, said a press release.

Rana Tanveer said that the targeted subsidies were indispensable for strengthening the economic position of farmers and increasing agricultural production. He stressed that the price of wheat should be determined after taking into account the cost of production incurred by farmers and the prevailing ground realities.

Ensuring sufficient wheat production to meet domestic requirements and safeguard food security was a key priority of the government, he said adding that national consensus between the federal and provincial governments was essential for determining the wheat price.

He added that a transparent and effective wheat procurement system would have to be ensured to protect the interests of farmers and further emphasized the need to maintain adequate strategic reserves to ensure uninterrupted availability of wheat across the country.

The minister said stabilizing wheat prices and ensuring its availability to consumers at reasonable rates remained an important priority of the government.

He underscored that effective coordination and a joint strategy between the federal and provincial governments were indispensable for comprehensive wheat management.