Multiple social network users share an image of a poster allegedly issued by the Punjab government, warning farmers that selling wheat over the price of the Government of RS2,675 by 40 kg could lead to three years in prison.
The claim is misleading. The poster in circulation is from August 2024. The Punjab government has not applied such a policy this year.
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A viral publication on Facebook of March 18 states that farmers who sell wheat above RS2,675 for 40 kg will face three years in prison and a fine of RS500,000.
The publication attributes this order to Prime Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif.
The image that accompanies the publication seems to be an official banner of the Punjab government, stating that the price of a 40 kg wheat bag in Bahawalnagar has set at RS2,675. In addition, it warns that violating the rate or not selling wheat at the price sanctioned by the government could lead to imprisonment, a fine or both.
The publication has shared more than 217 times and liked 236 times.
Similar claims were widely shared in X (previously known as Twitter) here and here.
Made
The viral poster is last August and is not recent, confirms four government officials in Punjab.
Muhammad Ajmal Bhatti, Secretary of Price Control and Product Management Department (PCCMD), an administrative department in charge of pricing regulation in Punjab, said Geographic data verification By phone: “The poster is last year.”
Bhatti clarified that the price of wheat follows two categories. One is the minimum support price (MSP) that is announced when the government obtains the wheat of the farmers.
“But the Punjab government has not yet made any acquisition decision,” he added, “due to the conditionalities of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the [government] will not establish a MSP this year. “
The second is the launch price, which is the rate to which the government sells its stored wheat. Below is a notification issued by the Department of Price Control and Management of Basic Products on March 21, which has established the release price of 40 kg of wheat at RS2,900.
It should be mentioned here that the Provincial Government approved the Punjab Price Control Law of the Basic Products Law of the essential products of last year, which allows it to establish the prices of all essential products, including wheat.
The law restricts farmers to sell or resell any essential product at a higher price than that set by its price control Council, while the sanctions for infractions include imprisonment for a period of three years or a fine of five hundred thousand rupees.
Despite the law, Bhatti argues due to the conditions established by the IMF, the provincial government does not plan to intervene in the open market throughout this year.
“Yes, the law gives us the power to intervene, but it will be a last resort, only if the market is completely out of control,” he said, “but the department does not expect things to get so far.”
In addition, Adnan Badar, deputy director of the Food Department of the Bahawal Division, also confirmed to Geographic data verification By phone, the poster that circulates online is last year.
He also said that he had been told that the market will now be deregulated after conversations with the IMF and that the provincial government does not plan to buy any wheat this year.
Faisal Shareef, the food controller of the district of Bahawalnagar and Muhammad Asad, the position of the office of the attached commissioner Bahawalnagar Control Sala, also called the old and not recent posters.
Verdict: Misleading. The viral poster is old, and the Punjab government has not issued any of said directive this year.
