Rice growers have expressed their grave concern over steep decline of paddy price currently varying between Rs 250 to Rs 270 per 40kg even when the price of urea and diesel recorded an increase of Rs 255 per bag and 25.50 per litter, respectively.
They maintained that in 1999, the price of paddy was Rs 350 per 40kg while the prices of urea and diesel were Rs 270 per bag and Rs 9.50 per litter, respectively.
They attributed the crisis in rice crop to government's free import policy of agriculture commodities from India, and the failure of Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (Reap) in exploiting the export potential of 1.2 million surplus rice.
They demanded that Reap should be windup and new committee constituted comprising of EPB, TCP, growers, rice millers, and exporters to bring an end to the wheat crisis and to improve export prospects of rice to African countries where rice crop reported to have been damaged due to heavy rains.
The Abadgar Board President Abdul Majeed Nizamani said Sindh was harvesting bumper onion crop, and onion and tomatoes were available in open market in sufficient quantity as such the import of onion should be ban and arrangements should be made for export of surplus onion.
He said if free import policy of agriculture commodities continued it would have adverse impact not only on agro-economy but also on national economy by increasing trade deficit, which had already reached up to 176.27 per cent.
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