Livestock farmers to protest against withdrawal of ST exemption on agri inputs

LAHORE: Livestock farmers along with their animals and birds will stage demonstration in all the district, provincial and finally in the federal capital to protest against the General Sales Tax (GST) withdrawal from agricultural inputs which, according to them not only making their own survival hard but also for animals, poultry and fish.

“Pakistan Kissan Ittehad (PKI) will launch the series of protest from February 14, 2022 from Multan and later spreading it to all the district headquarters to press the government for revival of tax exemption on agricultural inputs.

The Government has withdrawn this exemption from maize hybrid seed, rice hybrid seed, vegetable seed, fodder seed, all local seeds, fish meal, animal feed, soybean, raw cotton, Banola, cotton seed oil, oil cakes, agricultural machinery and poultry feed which will result in hardships for crop farmers but also for the poultry, animal and fish sector,” said PKI President Khalid Mahmood Khokhar.

Talking to Business Recorder here on Saturday, Khalid Khokhar said that after so many useless meetings with representatives of the Federal and Provincial Governments, Pakistan Kissan Ittehad is forced to stage protest.

He categorically stated that neither farmers nor their animal, poultry or fish get loans from IMF then why their livings are being made difficult on the basis of IMF conditions. ‘That’s why it is unique protest where farmers and their animals are participating to demonstrate that government has made living difficult for animals and fish by making expensive their feed,’ he added.

Farmers’ kids will also be participating in the demonstration displaying placards inscribed with slogans like “why government is after our education, as by making farming expensive our parents are not able to pay fees and education expenses” or “I have not taken any loan from IMF why I am being punished for it.”

Khalid said the protest series has been named as “Speechless animals and helpless farmers”.

Pakistan Kissan Ittehad (PKI) strongly believes that with current regime of GST, farming is no longer a profitable business. Earlier Pakistani farmers were hardly competing with growers of the region where government pour massive subsidies and provide support.

Khalid Khokhar said that his organization demands that the electricity tariff of agriculture tube wells should be fixed as one unit one rate of Rs. 5.35 per unit, FPA may be abolished from agriculture tube wells. GST on hybrid maize seed, hybrid rice seed, imported oil seeds, soy bean, vegetable seed, agriculture machinery, raw cotton, banola, banola oil, oil cakes, ingredients of poultry feed, fish meal, must be withdrawn immediately. He also demanded that the wheat support price should be re-fixed at Rs. 2,200 per 40kg considering new price hike of fertilizer, electricity and diesel.

‘If these demand are not full filled immediately, PKI will demonstrate its power and protest march “Speechless Animals and Helpless Farmers” in Multan on 14th February and other districts of Punjab, Sindh KPK and Balochistan then in Lahore and Islamabad,’ he concluded.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022