Government urged to ensure rice procurement on fixed rates

Kisan Board Pakistan (KBP) has urged the government to ensure procurement of paddy on the government announced rates. KBP President Sardar Zafar Hussain Khan in a statement issued here on Monday also called for start of procurement of paddy at Pakistan Agriculture Storage and Services Corporation (Passco).
He also demanded for withdrawal of cases against the paddy farmers who staged demonstrations in favour of their demands in Kamonke and Gujranwala. He said that arrested farmers should be released immediately, otherwise KBP would stage protest demonstration throughout the province. KBP also announced to stage a demonstration in the Punjab province on November 09, 2008 to highlight the problems being faced by the farmers due to declining cotton and paddy prices and other issues.