RAHIM YAR KHAN (ENNS) Farmers of the district will start their protest for increase in agriculture products under the flag of Kissan Bachao Tahreek Pakistan (KBTP) soon.
The government should announce new prices
of four agriculture products I.e. sugarcane, cotton, rice and wheat because
the prices of inputs were increased almost 80 to 90 percent said different district representatives of All Pakistan Farmer
Organizations in a special meeting.
The meeting was jointly organised by All Pakistan Kissan Foundation (APKF), All Punjab Jaag Kissan Movement (APJKM),Kissan Board Pakistan (KBP), Punjab Growers Association Pakistan (PGAP), Agri Forum Pakistan (AFP), Anjuman Kashtkaran Punjab (AKP), Kissan Ittehad Pakistan (KIP), Progressive Farmers Association Punjab (PFAP) and Tarqipasand Kashtkaran Punjab
(TKP) to record their protest initialy and the decision of a large protest at Lahore will be announce after three days.
The farmer leaders
including Haji Ibrahim, Syed Mehmood Ulhaq Bukhari, Jamil Nasir, Raja
Nasir, Hafiz Hasan Mehmood and Shehzad Ibrar Saleemi told their
greviences about the devalued prices of agriculture products.
They said that the rate of sugarcane was Rs 180 per maund (40 Kg) in 2014 and
the rate of sugar was Rs 45 per kg.The increase in price of sugar started in January 2019 and now it has reached at Rs 85 per kg but the rate of sugarcane was still Rs 180 per maund.
They told that the sugar
mills have increased the rate of mud from Rs 1500 to Rs 3000 per ton, molasis Rs 7500 to Rs 16000 per trolley and bigas Rs 1800 to Rs 3200 per ton.
They alleged that some ministers have planned to increase the sugarcane price only Rs 15 to Rs 20 that will not be acceptable. They said that government should increase the rate upto Rs 350 per maund so that the farmers could meet their input expenditures. They said that if sugar mills owners only implement on
the ruling of Supreme Court regarding formula of sugar price against
sugarcane, the rate of sugarcane would satnd at Rs 380 per maund. They
want the sugarcane rate according to its juice ratio. The farmers said that they attended many meeting called by Deputy Commisioner for their
complaints but DC was always absent from that meetings.
They demanded
that government should announce the prices of sugarcane at Rs 350 per
maund,cotton Rs 5000,rice Rs 2500 and wheat Rs 1500 per maund. They told that in Sindh poor farmers sold their cotton at the rate of Rs
3100 per maund and 1800000 cotton bales have arrived in the market.
The said that the prices of seeds,fertilizers,pesticides and fuel were increased as double during last year but poor farmer was getting
lowest rates for its agri products.
They warned that if farmers suspend sowing cotton, wheat, rice and sugarcane, the wheel of industry will
stop.
They claimed that there were more than 350 million labourers attached with agriculture in Pakistan and government should make its policies in their favour to strengthen the back bone of the country.
