Farmers, transporters resent increase in diesel prices

Various representative bodies of farmers, agriculturists and transporters have criticised Rs 3.5 per litre increase in the diesel prices, and said it will hit hard the fragile economy. Talking to Business Recorder here on Tuesday, President of Kisan Board, Pakistan, Sardar Zafar Hassan, said the increase had affected more than 70 percent population of the country directly or indirectly.
He said there were about one million diesel-operated agriculture tubewells in the country. "Since there is 35 to 40 percent shortage of ground water for sowing the coming Rabi crops, this increase in diesel oil prices would, therefore, have negative effect on cost of agriculture products," he added.
President of Pakistan Agri Forum Ibrahim Moghal was blunt in saying "the increase in diesel prices was the second bomb shell of the present regime on the agrarian economy after last week's huge hike in power tariff." He said the agriculture sector used two billion litres of diesel annually on running tubewells, tractors, thrashers and other agriculture implements, therefore, this increase had further burdened the economic lifeline of the country by about rupees eight billion.
He said after about 30 percent increase in power tariff, the government had already made use of 175,000 tubewells run on electricity, which was uneconomical for pumping the underground water for irrigating the crops.
He said the agrarian economy was based on five Ts, ie tractor, tubewell, truck, train and transport. "By increasing the diesel oil price, despite 40 percent decrease in the international oil prices, the government had hit all the five Ts," he added.
Mughal wondered how the government would increase agriculture production and solve the food crisis when it increased the diesel oil prices by Rs 3.5 per litre, electricity tariff by 30 percent, and 100 percent increase in fertiliser prices in black market and other agriculture inputs. He demanded of the government to offer a package of incentives to the farmers for sowing the coming Rabi crop, including wheat, barleys, sunflower, grams, mustard and other oilseeds for sustainable agriculture growth.