Govt asked to purchase rice instead of wheat in Baghlan

PUL-I-KHUMRI (Pajhwok): Farmers in northern Baghlan have asked the government to purchase rice from them instead of wheat.

They said the harvest season of wheat is already gone and it currently rice were harvested and available with the farmers.

A government delegation has arrived in Baghlan province after government officially decided to purchase wheat from farmers.

Mohammad Younis, a farmer from the Dand-i-Ghori district’s Ghrokhash areas, said government should started the wheat purchase process in May or June because now was the time for the harvest of rice and government should explore a decent market for the rice crop to support farmers.

Mohammad Asif, another farmer from of the same district from Ibrahimkehl village, said rice has been not harvested completely but its rate has started to come down in the market.

He said if government purchase rice from them it would protect farmers from losses and government would also be able to purchase enough rice from Baghlan.

He said: “During the harvest time of wheat, the rate of seven kilogram of wheat was 100 afs but now it surged to 150 afs, if government at that time purchased wheat farmer and movement both would have been the beneficiaries, similarly, the price of rice is also coming down each day in the market, the price of seven kilograms of rice is 300 afs which could not compensate the expenses of farmers, if a suitable market is not explored there is chance that rice price will further decrease and the farmers would incur huge losses.”

Wali Amarkhel, head of the Baghlan Agriculture Department’s Information section, said the wheat purchase process started late because of the late budget approval.

He said efforts would be made to start this process at a proper time in the coming year.

He said government currently concentrated on wheat purchase and there was no plane for the purchase of rice.

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