ISLAMABAD, March 4: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Saturday asked provincial governments and the Pakistan Agriculture Storage and Supplies Corporation (Passco) to procure current seasons’ wheat crop at the minimum guaranteed rate of Rs415 per 40kg in order to protect the rights of farmers.

The directive came at a meeting that reviewed wheat availability in the country.

Pakistan is facing wheat shortage for the last couple of years owing to bad crops which has forced import of about one million tons of wheat from India to meet the local demand.

The prime minister said that interests of farmers would be safeguarded and directed the Punjab and Sindh governments as well as Passco to purchase the commodity as assigned to them.

The meeting was informed that the wheat price was stable in the market.

Mr Aziz also directed that free movement of wheat be ensured all over the country. He said the private sector should be encouraged to purchase wheat from the market and commercial banks should continue to support the private sector.

The meeting was attended by Food and Agriculture Minister Sikandar Bosan, Adviser to Prime Minister on Finance Dr Salman Shah, chief secretaries of Punjab and Sindh and federal secretaries of various departments.—Staff Reporter