AGL 40.00 Decreased By ▼ -0.16 (-0.4%)
AIRLINK 129.53 Decreased By ▼ -2.20 (-1.67%)
BOP 6.68 Decreased By ▼ -0.01 (-0.15%)
CNERGY 4.63 Increased By ▲ 0.16 (3.58%)
DCL 8.94 Increased By ▲ 0.12 (1.36%)
DFML 41.69 Increased By ▲ 1.08 (2.66%)
DGKC 83.77 Decreased By ▼ -0.31 (-0.37%)
FCCL 32.77 Increased By ▲ 0.43 (1.33%)
FFBL 75.47 Increased By ▲ 6.86 (10%)
FFL 11.47 Increased By ▲ 0.12 (1.06%)
HUBC 110.55 Decreased By ▼ -1.21 (-1.08%)
HUMNL 14.56 Increased By ▲ 0.25 (1.75%)
KEL 5.39 Increased By ▲ 0.17 (3.26%)
KOSM 8.40 Decreased By ▼ -0.58 (-6.46%)
MLCF 39.79 Increased By ▲ 0.36 (0.91%)
NBP 60.29 No Change ▼ 0.00 (0%)
OGDC 199.66 Increased By ▲ 4.72 (2.42%)
PAEL 26.65 Decreased By ▼ -0.04 (-0.15%)
PIBTL 7.66 Increased By ▲ 0.18 (2.41%)
PPL 157.92 Increased By ▲ 2.15 (1.38%)
PRL 26.73 Increased By ▲ 0.05 (0.19%)
PTC 18.46 Increased By ▲ 0.16 (0.87%)
SEARL 82.44 Decreased By ▼ -0.58 (-0.7%)
TELE 8.31 Increased By ▲ 0.08 (0.97%)
TOMCL 34.51 Decreased By ▼ -0.04 (-0.12%)
TPLP 9.06 Increased By ▲ 0.25 (2.84%)
TREET 17.47 Increased By ▲ 0.77 (4.61%)
TRG 61.32 Decreased By ▼ -1.13 (-1.81%)
UNITY 27.43 Decreased By ▼ -0.01 (-0.04%)
WTL 1.38 Increased By ▲ 0.10 (7.81%)
BR100 10,407 Increased By 220 (2.16%)
BR30 31,713 Increased By 377.1 (1.2%)
KSE100 97,328 Increased By 1781.9 (1.86%)
KSE30 30,192 Increased By 614.4 (2.08%)
Opinion Print 2020-09-01

Oil seed/DAP subsidies

Ameer Abbass Khan and others, District Mianwali LETTER: It is to draw your attention to the issue of pending...
Published September 1, 2020

Ameer Abbass Khan and others, District Mianwali

LETTER: It is to draw your attention to the issue of pending payments of oil seed/DAP subsidies promised by the government in the previous year. We are farming canola and wheat in District Mianwali (the same place from where Imran Khan got elected). Last year, the government promised to pay subsidy to farmers who will grow canola on their farming lands (Rs5,000 per bag). After this announcement, farmers, in order to avail the benefit of the offer, bought oil seeds on a higher rate. The oil seed bag which was earlier selling at Rs 3,000 after the announcement of the subsidy was sold at Rs5,500 per bag for hybrid seeds. Farmers got themselves registered through the mechanism of sending their CNIC numbers and their phone numbers. Initially Rs. 1,000 per bag had to be paid to farmers on registration, but the only Rs.900 was paid. Upon complaint lodged through the phone numbers given by the Punjab Agriculture Department we were told that we will be paid later in April. They did not pay any subsidy till date. Now, nobody listens to our complaints and it's not just us but the whole district. The oil seed companies sold ordinary seeds and charged the price of hybrid seeds, but no one has been held accountable. If this is to continue, will our agriculture sector survive? The government bought our wheat at an artificially low price of Rs1,400 per bag (they didn't allow the market forces to work when it was our turn). On top of it the weather conditions took everything away from us. Not a single rupee has reached farmers and the government has announced new subsidies, we ask for whom? Where did all that money go? The PM's portal doesn't even respond. Why make false promises just to befool farmers to buy expensive seeds and fertilizers?

AMEER ABBASS KHAN AND OTHERS, DISTRICT MIANWALI

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020

Comments

Comments are closed.