LAHORE: The Pakistan People`s Party(PPP)has opposed the closure of state institutions in the name of corruption.

`Corruption exists everywhere.

The priority should be to check corruption rather than shutting down an institution for alleged corruption in it,` said PPP Punjab General Secretary Syed Hassan Murtaza here on Wednesday.

`If the Anti-Corruption Establishment cannot control corruption, should it too be shut down?` he asked why speaking at a press conference.

The government should bring reforms to improve Passco (Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation) instead of closing the food security institution, he said, arguing if the rulers didn`t change their ways, farmers could stop growing crops. The rulers will realize the gravity of the situation the day wheat and rice are not cultivated by the farming community, he warned.

Flanked by All-Pakistan Passco Employees Union President Babar Ali and Anees Babar, as well as party leader Faisal Mir, Murtaza expressed public concerns about the privatization and closure of government departments related to agriculture and food security.

He credited the PPP reforms for theprosperity of farmers and criticized the current government for relying on imports, warning of a grim future if the country started importing even basic food items.

He noted that former president Asif Ali Zardari`s policies from 2008 to 2013 benefited farmers significantly, such as increasing the sugarcane support price from Rs50 to Rs200 per maund.

oday, rising prices of electricity, petroleum, and fertilizers have left the agricultural sector in distress, with no policies or research centres to guide farmers on quality seeds.

He also criticized the neglect of the country`s century-old canal system, saying new canals were being dug despite existing water-sharing agreements. He questioned how weakening institutions could strengthen the federation.

He cautioned of a looming wheat crisis and criticized the government`s reluctance to provide wheat farmers with a fair price of Rs4,000 per maund while importing grain at Rs7,000 per maund.

Responding to a question, he stated that PTI members expected an NRO and criticized Imran Khan for involving his family in legal proceedings.

Babar Ali said that Passco procures 1.4 million tonnes of wheat while the Punjab Food Department procures 3.6m tonnes. He noted that if Punjab failed to procure wheat this year, the burden would fall on Passco.