Farmers threaten to stop wheat sowing if support price not announced

MULTAN: The Pakistan Kissan Ittehad (PKI) said on Sunday that the farmers will stop wheat sowing from next year if the government did not announce appropriate support price for the crop.

Addressing a press conference here, Pakistan Kissan Ittehad Central President Khalid Mahmood Khokar said the farmers had been mocked by announcing a Rs15 billion package.

“Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has not even met any representative of the farmers who suffered losses of trillions of rupees due to climate change.”

He appealed to Chief of Army Staff Gen Asim Munir to save the farmers from the prevailing situation. “If the farmers do not get the right rate for the crop, the loss will not be that of the farmers alone but of the 250 million people of the country.” The Pakistan Kissan Ittehad leader further said the farmers worked every day to grow more wheat as per Maryam Nawaz’s request but no facility was provided to them.

“The advisers of the Punjab chief minister use to insult farmers all the time while the farmers are the guarantors of food security. We want the rate for our crops. We do not want charity from the chief minister, but the right to earn our livelihood,” he said. “The support price of wheat has been abolished in the country, while wheat happens to be the fuel for all crops.

The farmers have been paying taxes and growing grains but bearing losses. Due to the lack of subsidy, the farmers have been forced to stop agriculture activities because neither the Prime Minister nor the Punjab chief minister paying any attention to solve the problems of the farmers. In such a situation the farmers will not grow wheat anymore,” Khokar added.

The Pakistan Kissan Ittehad leader further said if the government did not provide benefits to the farmers, then at least pay the real price of their crop.

“If farmers are continued to be subjected to injustice we will announce our next course of action in a couple of days and will be forced to take to the streets along with our children,” he warned.