Seven organisations representing farmers rejecting the wheat support price announced by the government have called for fixing it at par with the international price. They also asked the farmers to hold their produce for at least two months instead of selling it what they called at 'throw away' prices in order to pressurise the government for acceptance of their demands.
The demand was raised at a press conference organised by the Kisan Board Pakistan (KBP) at the Lahore Press Club here on Wednesday. President Kisan Board of Pakistan (KBP), Sardar Zafar Husain Khan, Farooq Bajwa of Punjab Water Council (PWC), Bilal Isreal of Farmer Association of Pakistan (FAP), Sultan Ali Chaudhry President of Chamber of Agriculture Punjab, Muhammad Abdullah of Awain-e-Zarat, Ahsan Taqweem President Anjuman Kastkaran Punjab and Maqbool Khan Khichi President Kisan Council addressed the press conference.
They said that farmers had attached too many hopes with the new government but the announcement made by the government was disappointing. They said that the agriculture department had evaluated in put cost for the wheat at Rs 600 per maund and only Rs 25 profit on 40 kilograms was an injustice with the farmers.
'The government provides all agri-input at international prices therefore, it should also provide price of their produce at international level", they argued.
President Kisan Board of Pakistan (KBP), Sardar Zafar Husain Khan said if foreign farmers could be given benefit by importing their wheat at Rs 1600 per 40-kg, why this advantage could not be passed on to the domestic farmers. It would encourage our farmers to grow more.
The farmers representatives were also of the view that they were already receiving prices of cotton and rice at par with international prices. If the government denied their demand farmers from next season would sow alternative crops creating', they warned. Kisan Board also announced to arrange protest demonstrations through out the country on April 10.
Bilal Isreal of Farmer Association of Pakistan (FAP) said that being the progressive framers the FAP had requested all its members and big wheat growers not to sell their produce. Farooq Bajwa of Punjab Water Council (PWC) claimed that wheat production would be three to 3.5 million tonnes less this year against the target. He said out of total production government only buy 15 percent and it should not dictate prices for 85 percent market.
President of Chamber of Agriculture Punjab Sultan Ali Chaudhry said that internationally the most of the government calculate the input cost and profits of the framers before fixing the final price of agricultural produce.