LAHORE: The Pakistan Kissan Ittehad (PKI) has announced to start “tractor march” towards capital city on March 31 for forcing the rulers to accept their legitimate demands regarding wheat support price.

While addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, President PKI Khalid Khokar said, “The unfair taxation on agriculture and anti-farmers policies of the government, sky rocketing increase in electricity and fertilizers has already financially burdened the small farmers across the country, especially in Punjab. The input cost in agriculture is many time higher than the prices of crops, he added.

Farmers Associates of Pakistan (FAP) President Afaq Tiwana, President Punjab Water Council Farooq Bajwa and other office-bearers of various farmers associations were also present on the occasion. They announced to support Pakistan Kissan Ittehad till the acceptance of their legitimate demands.

Khalid Khokar said that farmers have to bear Rs40 billion losses due to high price of fertilizers. The government’s announced Rs20 billion subsidies on fertilizers which is yet to be implemented, he added.

He also criticized the import of wheat, pluses and other agriculture-related products besides irrational support price of wheat. The Kisan Ittehad had announced their demand for increasing support prices of the wheat and sugarcane.

They demanded the Punjab government to fix the support price for wheat for the 2020-21 seasons at Rs2,000 per 40 kg. The PKI also announced to approach the high court for implementation of the government announced farmers’ package. The Ittehad leaders also criticized the government’s ‘anti-agriculture policies’ in the press conference.

He was of the view that the Kisan Package envisaged Rs5000 for each small farmer which could be spent for sowing of wheat crop. He said that rulers are depriving farmers if their basic rights which could create food security problem in future.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021