It was also decided that import of fertilisers would be ensured in the month of December, which was the highest consumption period for wheat crop. - File photo

ISLAMABAD: The government on Wednesday decided to fix the wheat support price for next year at Rs1,050 per 40kgs and the Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation (Passco) would cover the increased cost of wheat production.

The price was fixed at a meeting presided over by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani at the PM House. The meeting decided that one million tons shortage of fertiliser for the Rabi season would be met through imports.

An official handout stated that the meeting discussed entailing a subsidy of Rs25 billion on import of fertiliser by the government to reach the common growers.

It was also decided that import of fertilisers would be ensured in the month of December, which was the highest consumption period for wheat crop.

A committee, comprising federal ministers for finance and industries, was set up to remove bottlenecks in distribution of fertilisers and disparity between imported and domestic urea.

The committee would also ensure elimination of black-marketing, profiteering and hoarding by the middleman.

Federal ministers Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, Mian Manzoor Ahmad Wattoo, Mir Israrullah Zehri, Syed Khursheed Ahmad Shah, Syed Naveed Qamar, acting Governor of State Bank Kamran Shahzad and other senior officials attended the meeting.