The Farmers Associates Pakistan (FAP) has told the government to declare the year 2008 as 'Basmati Rice Year' and announce incentives for the rice growers on emergency basis. The FAP standing committee on rice has aired concern over proposals being given to the government from different quarters to impose regulatory duty on export of rice.
It claimed that the Federal Food Committee has also suggested the same measures to ensure reduction in the prices of rice. The FAP has rejected all such proposals and termed them as anti-farmer and anti-agriculture suggestions, FAP spokesman said here on Friday.
The FAP standing committee said that rice production is low in the world nowadays and it is a golden chance that Pakistan could enhance the value of its rice in the international market. "This is the time when Pakistan can enter new markets besides continuing relations with its old customers."
It said that imposition of any tax or duty on rice export would not only cause damage to farmers but would also deprive the government of precious foreign exchange, and would also damage credibility of the country in international markets.
It said that throughout the world, governments announce incentives for farmers before sowing of any crop to ensure maximum yield. "But in our country, bureaucracy devises anti-wheat policies at the time of sowing of wheat, and now when time is approaching for sowing of rice, a specific group is trying to spread disappointment among the rice growers."
The FAP, demanding incentives for the rice grower, said that the government should declare current year as 'Year of Basmati rice'. It said that farmers were already hard hit due to sugar mills mafia, hike in fertiliser and diesel prices, shortage of electricity and low price of wheat. It could not bear any more bad news and all its hopes were relying on a good rice crop so the government should adopt a farmer-friendly policy on this issue, the committee said.
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