Government owing 1900 billion Tomans to farmers / 9% reduction in wheat purchases compared to last year

The Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs of the Ministry of
Agriculture announced the government’s demand for 1,900 billion Tomans of wheat
farmers and said: by the end of September, the proposed prices for the purchase
of agricultural products for the next year will be approved by the Economic
Council.

Abdolmahdi Bakhshande said: 5.5 million tons of surplus
wheat has been purchased from the farmers, the worth of which is 9500 billion
Tomans and so far we have paid 7600 billion T to the farmers and still owe 1900
billion tomans.

He said the price of wheat will be paid for a maximum of one
to two weeks. Last year, a total of 9.5 million tons of wheat was bought from
farmers, which is expected this year to be purchased in the order of 12 million
tons of wheat production. But so far, the guaranteed purchase was 9% less than
in the same period last year.

Bakhshande also added that last year 50% of the price of
wheat was paid firstly, and the rest was paid to farmers in one or two months,
but this year, the average delay in the payment of wheat costs is one to two
weeks, and we try with the help of Subsidies and plans organization to reduce
the time schedule for payments to farmers.

The Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs of the Ministry of
Agriculture also said that by the end of September, the proposed prices for the
purchase of agricultural products for the next year will be approved by the
Economic Council, and we hope that within a day or two the proposed prices will
be provided by the Minister of Agriculture Jihad to the Economic Council.