Farmers stage demonstration, set fire to wheat stalks

MULTAN: Hundreds of farmers of Pakistan Kissan Ittehad Friday staged a demonstration and set fire to wheat stalks in protest against the government for not procuring wheat from them.

Farmers riding tractor-trolleys and other vehicles reached outside Multan Press Club and blocked the Abdali Road and chanted slogans against the government for allegedly reducing wheat price and highlighting the cruel role of middleman.

The farmers led by PKI president Khalid Khokhar and others urged the government to avid ignoring the plight of farmer.Addressing the farmers, Khalid Khokhar said the farmers’ movement will spread in other districts of the province if the government did not change its stance.

He said our national economy depends on agriculture and farmers are being scared by mafias in Pasco and other departments. He said the name of the protest movement is Agriculture Bachao Pakistan Bachao.

He said farmers have suffered a loss to the tune of Rs 1,500 billion.He said our major crops are cotton and rice and the government also seems unprepared about its policies regarding these two main crops.

He said agriculture sector cannot be ignored in the country in terms of our national economy.He said some 24 women have lost their lives in their bid to get cheap wheat flour.Heavy contingents of police were deployed to handle any untoward incident.

Khokhar said still the government has not started procurement of wheat and this delay is causing loss to farmers.He said, earlier the government asked farmers to grow wheat on maximum area of land and now authorities concerned are showing procrastination in buying the commodity.

He said imported wheat is of poor quality.He said he is going to launch a nationwide protest and farmers will attend such protests at Lahore as well.