Farmers of paddy crop stage demonstration in Sukkur

SUKKUR: Farmers of the paddy crop, led by Din Muhammad and Islamuddin Shaikh, took out rallies in Badah, Dokri and other areas in protest against Sindh government’s not providing even the fixed rate of paddy which was Rs900.

They said that the traders were cutting two kilograms on each maund which was illegal. They demanded Rs1,100 to Rs1,200 rate of paddy per mound, and they also demanded reduction in the price of pesticides and fertilizers.

Meanwhile, the Sindh-Balochistan Rice Millers Association announced a campaign of protests and demonstrations to be launched after Ashura. Aziz Ahmed Abro, president of the Sindh-Balochistan Rice Millers Association, had written a letter to the Chief Minister of Sindh, Syed Murad Ali Shah, to fix the rate of paddy at least at Rs1,200.

Siraj Rashidi, a representative of the Larkana Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that paddy growers were not getting a fair price for their crops.  He said that the growers spent Rs600 to Rs650 for producing a maund of rice. In these circumstances, the government rate of paddy, which was Rs650, was not justified.

He said that the growers were incurring losses amounting to millions of rupees a year.  He said that some growers of paddy had been feeling so miserable that they were contemplating suicide.