Analyzing the dimensions of reforming the guaranteed purchase rate of wheat/ will we be forced to import wheat again this year?

According to the economic reporter of Fars news agency, the importance of correcting the guaranteed purchase rate of wheat this year and in the current situation is so great that if this is not corrected, it can cause irreparable losses on the table of the people and the country’s economy, and its effects will be in the form of withdrawal of this essential product. from the country and forced to import with multiple prices (if possible) and production reduction will appear in the coming years.

The government announced the guaranteed purchase rate of wheat for the crop year 1401-1402 last September of 13 thousand tomans, but now after 7 months, the growth of inflation, the increase in production costs, the increase in the world price of wheat and the difficulty of importing and the possibility of domestic wheat smuggling to the countries The neighbor has set all the conditions in such a way that the government should adjust the price of wheat.

Rumors indicate that the government has also reached this conclusion and has set a price of 16 thousand tomans per kilo for buying wheat. The harvesting and government purchase of wheat has started in the provinces of the country, and if the government is late and does not announce the new price, The silos will remain empty this year because there are those who will buy from farmers at double the price.

The reports that have reached us about the guaranteed purchase of wheat this year do not have much definition because the wheat was not purchased with the right variety desired by the farmer, some farmers are holding back and waiting for the announcement of the new prices announced by the government. The

The CEO of the state trading company, which is responsible for the guaranteed purchase of wheat from farmers, said about this: The guaranteed purchase of wheat started on April 7, 1420, and we have purchased 100 thousand tons of wheat from 6 provinces, these wheats are from Khuzestan, Kerman, and Sistan provinces. and Balochistan, Hormozgan, Bushehr, and Fars have been purchased.

Therefore, the report of our country requires 13 million tons of wheat annually to supply the entire domestic needs, including bakery, industrial, farmers’ seeds, etc. Among them, there should be about 10 million tons of wheat to supply people’s bread; Last year, the government was able to buy 7.5 million tons of wheat from farmers, while in such a situation, it has to buy grain by grain of wheat produced by farmers.

* Four reasons for correcting the guaranteed purchase rate of wheat; What problems will occur if the rate is not corrected?

In the meantime, the production unions and farmers believe that it is necessary to increase the guaranteed purchase rate of wheat and they say that this issue will benefit the domestic production and the country’s economy and they also present reasons in this regard.

1- If the government does not correct the guaranteed purchase rate, it will be forced to import wheat at higher prices

Ebrahim Moradzadeh, a senior expert in the field of agriculture, in an interview with Fars reporter, pointed out four reasons for the necessity of wheat prices and said: If the guaranteed purchase price of wheat does not increase, the farmer will sell this wheat to brokers, and the amount of government purchases this year will be Intensity will be reduced, besides farmers will reduce their crops for the next year, the result of which the government will be forced to import the country’s needs if it can at higher prices due to the strange growth of world prices.

2- Domestic wheat is smuggled to neighboring countries

He added: If the guaranteed purchase rate is not affordable for farmers, considering the price difference we have with the neighboring countries, this basic commodity on the table of the people will flow into their borders. There are reports that dealers and smugglers at the border of some countries Neighbors pay 24 to 30 thousand tomans for each kilo of wheat.

In this regard, Attaullah Hashemi, the head of the National Wheat Farmers Foundation, confirmed this issue and said: Iraqi brokers are willing to buy the wheat of Iranian farmers at a rate of nearly 30,000 tomans.

According to the head of the National Wheat Farmers Foundation, there are hidden hands that prevent the government from announcing the new rate.

Hashemi has also said that if the guaranteed purchase price of wheat is not revised by next week, he will reveal the names of those who stonewall the price.

The head of the National Wheat Farmers Foundation also said: With the current prices of wheat, 2 million tons of the country’s wheat production will be used for livestock and poultry feed. If we do not increase the guaranteed purchase price and farmers’ dissatisfaction is not resolved, this year the amount of guaranteed purchase will decrease terribly and we will have to import. to be”.

3- Two million tons of wheat is fed to livestock

Mouradzadeh, a senior expert in the field of agriculture, further told Fars: If the price of domestic wheat is low, the price gap with animal feed will increase the grounds for using wheat as animal feed, now the price of animal feed is more than 15,000 per kilo. It is because of this that sometimes producers are forced to buy from the broker market at more expensive prices, and these issues put pressure on them to use wheat as animal feed.

4- The government’s policy to increase the production of basic goods fails

Moradzadeh clarified: A farmer who has worked hard for a year and planted wheat, expects to have a decent income, otherwise he will try his luck on cultivating other products, which are probably sunflowers, watermelons, etc., which are not essential products. And at the same time they are waterproof.

This agricultural expert stated: The government plans to increase the production of basic goods and reduce dependence on the import of these goods, the low price of wheat will keep the government away from this goal.

He added: The conditions of the world after Corona, especially the war between Russia and Ukraine, have become more difficult in terms of supplying basic goods, countries have restricted or banned exports, and because of this, importing countries have been in more trouble, despite the warning of the institutions. International and World Trade Organization that these actions are against the world trade law, no one pays attention to these warnings; Therefore, in order to deal with these problems, the countries of the world have adopted the policy of increasing the production of basic goods inside, and in the second stage, they fill their warehouses as much as they can, both with production and with imports.

This agricultural expert stated: Now, in such a situation, it is appropriate for the government to protect the gold grains of wheat produced by farmers and seek to increase its production in the coming years. It is a prerequisite.

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