SANGHAR, Jan 25: The farmers have warned the government of another looming wheat shortage crisis in 2008-09.

They held the government policies, sugar mill owners and 125 per cent increase in the price of phosphatic fertiliser responsible for the possible crisis. This was stated during a meeting of Small Growers Association held here on Friday.

Hassan Askari, general secretary of the association said that only 20 million acres have been sown for year 2007-08 for wheat crop while the target was 21.11 million acres and we are short of target.

The main reason for this, he said, was late harvesting of sugarcane and also the lack of interest of farmers in sowing wheat because it was no more feasible for them.

He said the price of phosphatic fertiliser, which is a must for high yield, had been increased by 125 per cent. A bag of DAP which was for Rs750 to Rs850 last year now its being sold at Rs1,750 to Rs1,950.Mr Askari cited an example of his village Pessoo Jo Goth near Sinjhoro where at deh 7-Dim last year the wheat was sown on more than 800 acres but this year there was only 20 to 30 acres hardly.

Mr Askari said there was no incentive for farmers to grow more wheat and added that they are just boasting to have bumper crop but actually it never did if gauged by per acre yield.

He said in France an average per acre yield is 70 maund, Mexico 48, India 40, and in Pakistan some progressive farmers are getting 50 to 60 maund average per acre yield.

“If we achieve 40 per acre yield than we should harvest at least 32 million tonnes of wheat but due to apathy of the government and the agriculture department, we hardly get 18 to 24 maunds average.”

Mr Askari said this year the use of phosphatic fertiliser has decreased from 5 million to 5.5 million bags.

He recalled that during 1962-63 in Ayub Khan’s era, wheat production had jumped by 43 per cent in a year. It was a green revolution. Scientists like Dr Abdul Hafiz, Dr Mohammad Hussain, Dr Sardar Ali had brought the revolution but the country has not produced such scientists any more.

Mir Nizamani, Umer Khan and other farmers also spoke on the occasion.

They said they have best climate, land, irrigation, canal network and hard working farmers of the world but it was shameful to import wheat, pulses, edible oil and even vegetables while we claim that 70 per cent population are farming community.