Farmers end protest after agriculture minister’s assurances

Farmers from all over Punjab who were protesting in front of Punjab Assembly on Wednesday called off their sit-in late evening after Provincial Minister for Agriculture Dr Farrukh Javed addressed the participants and assured to address their reservations.

Earlier in the day, farmers from different cities of Punjab including Sahiwal, Mandi Bahauddin, Chiniot, Bahawalnagar, Pakpattan and Okara staged a demonstration at Mall Road against what they called ‘anti-farmer policies’ of the government. Several leaders of Kisan Board Pakistan delivered their speeches throughout the day urging the government to implement the Prime Minister Kisan Package in a transparent way.

Rana Muhammad Arshad, a farmer from district Hafizabad, told Pakistan Today that his crops of wheat and rice are on a continuous decline since the incumbent government came into power. “The Kissan Package is completely eyewash as the government has given the funds of Kisan Pacakage to its Members National Assembly (MNAs) and Members Provincial Assembly (MPAs) through unfair means”, he said.

The MNAs and MPAs are trying to win their votes by using these funds while the poor farmers are being deprived of this amount, Arshad added. The federal government had announced a package of Rs 341 billion for the uplift of farmers in the annual budget of 2016-2017.

Kisan Board Hafizabad President Sufi Muhammad Riaz Warraich told Pakistan Today that most of the grievances of farmers have been resolved by the agriculture minister. “If our reservations are not addressed in a proper way, then we can launch a long march towards Islamabad”, he added.

The protesting farmers wanted the end of General Sales Tax (GST) on farm inputs, raise in the support price of Kharif crops, interest free loans and fixation of flat rate for agricultural tube-wells.

In his address, Kisan Board Pakistan General Secretary Arslan Khakwani said that the support price of Super Banapasti should be fixed at Rs. 1250, non-Basmati at Rs. 1300, cotton at Rs. 5000, sugar cane at 250 per maund and maize at Rs. 1800 pr maund.

Talking to Pakistan Today, he said that the government has assured the farmers that these prices will be decided after having a detailed consultation with us. “There will be no agriculture tax on a farmer having a land below than 12.5 acre and the agriculture minister has assured us its fair implementation”, he said.

The agriculture minister said that the issues of farmers were not resolved in last many years but now the incumbent government has vowed to address the issues of farmer’s community and a hefty amount of Kisan Package is a proof of our sincerity to resolve the issues of the farmers.

“Some farmers complained that they are not being paid their dues of sugar cane. I urge all the farmers to feel free to come to the agriculture department with their complaints and these grievances will be addressed in the shortest span of time,” he said.