RAHIM YAR KHAN: The lowest rates of fresh wheat crop have shocked farmers as well as traders in the open market and New Model Grain Market (NMGM) of Rahim Yar Khan. The wheat harvesting started in the different areas of the district, especially in the Katcha area, a week ago.

Chaudhry Muhammad Ashraf, a trader at the grain market, told this correspondent that wheat price was Rs2,800 per maund (40 kg) in the market but on April 4, it decreased to Rs2,300 while on April 6, it came down to Rs2,200. He said it was the rate of the best quality wheat harvested through thresher while the rate of wheat harvested by combined harvester was between Rs1,700 and Rs1,900 because its grain would get affected and was in low quantity.

Ishfaq Ahmed, a farmer of Manthar, says he had spent Rs12,000 on a DAP bag, Rs13,500 on three Urea bags, Rs5,000 on seed, Rs6,000 on ploughing, Rs15,000 on irrigation and Rs13,000 on harvesting, taking the total expensesincurred on wheat to Rs64,500 per acre.

`With 30 maunds average wheat per acre after selling my crop at the rate of Rs2,200 per maund, I would get Rs66,000. So earning Rs1,500 per acre is not justified and it is sheer exploitation of the farmers.

Ahmed laments due to ridiculous and anti-farmer policies of the provincial government, the farmers are disap-pointed and they would sow wheat in next season only according to their familyneeds.

Muhammad Saddique, another farmer of Bagho Bahar area in tehsil Khanpur, says he has got a big chunk of land on lease at the rate of Rs180,000 per acre.

`According to the current market situation of wheat, how would I pay the lease amount to the land owner?` he asks. Heterms the situation disappointing and lambasts the government for `killing` farmers` community dependent on agriculture.

Muhammad Naeem, a trader in the new grain market, says the arrival of new wheat crop is in less quantity and 1,000 maunds to 1,500 maunds wheat is landing at the grain market from the Katcha area of the Indus River. He says the traders like him are concerned because the farmers are not selling their produce due to poor rates in the grain market.

`First of all, they will store wheat according to their needs and sell the remaining wheat to those traders who will access their field themselves as transportation expenditures are also very high and they can`t afford it,` he informs.

On the other hand, Nasir Hussain, a citizen, who was standing outside a restaurant in Rahim Yar Khan, complains that when rate of wheat was Rs4,000, the price of roti was Rs20 but after the decrease in the wheat rate by almost half, the price of roti is still Rs20. He says the common citizen is not a beneficiary of the decreased rates of wheat.