Farmers Bureau of Pakistan (FBP) has urged the government to take immediate steps for bringing down the cost of production of the growers to provide them some financial relief.

FBP President Dr Zafar Hayyat in a statement issued here on Saturday observed that the farmers of Pakistan are already into deep financial crunch because of their growing cost of production. All the inputs right from seed to fertilizer or else are very expensive while their rate of return is not that much lucrative.

He emphasised that every step should be taken to reduce the cost of production of the agricultural sector. 'This year corn growers suffered a lot in their Kharif crop and Rabi crop is in the process of cultivation. The private seed companies raised the prices of the seed despite the fact that farmers suffered huge losses in their Kharif crop,' he added. 'We demand from the government that all the private companies who are importing corn seed should immediately start producing, at least 25 percent of the seed, locally and should ultimately produce 100 percent within the country, in some agreed timeline. This will not only reduce the prices of corn seed but will also help in job creation, he concluded.