Summary Sindh removes wheat sale limits, allowing farmers unrestricted sales to government, aiming to boost procurement, ensure timely payments and support growers amid food security efforts.
KARACHI (Web Desk) – Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has abolished the wheat sale limit, offering significant relief to small-scale farmers and directing authorities to accelerate the ongoing procurement campaign.
The decision was taken during a high-level meeting chaired by the chief minister to review wheat procurement across the province. Officials, including provincial ministers and senior bureaucrats, attended the session.
Murad Ali Shah announced that farmers can now sell wheat to the government without any restriction on quantity, removing the previous condition of five bags per acre. He instructed the food department to ensure prompt payments to growers.
Provincial Food Minister Makhdoom Mehboob uz Zaman briefed the meeting, stating that the procurement drive began on April 1, with a target of acquiring one million metric tonnes of wheat.
The support price has been fixed at Rs3,500 per 40 kilograms. Wheat is cultivated on approximately 1.94 million acres in Sindh, with more than 332,000 farmers involved. So far, around 8,958 metric tonnes have been procured.
Officials noted that the earlier five-bag-per-acre restriction had hindered procurement targets, prompting its immediate removal.
The chief minister emphasised that farmers would receive payments within one day through Sindh Bank. Authorities reported that Rs198.3 million has already been disbursed to growers.
Expressing satisfaction over the improved payment system, Murad Ali Shah stressed that timely payments are crucial for maintaining farmers’ trust. He urged all eligible farmers to sell their produce at official procurement centres, adding that such participation would ensure eligibility for future subsidies.
He also ordered stricter measures in districts with low procurement and directed assistant commissioners and local officials to regularly visit procurement centres.
Authorities informed the meeting that a control room has been established to address farmers’ complaints, while 12 additional procurement centres have been opened to facilitate growers.
