PM kissan package result of Bilawal’s speech: Wattoo

LAHORE
PPP Punjab President Mian Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo claimed that Prime Minister’s Kissan Package was a direct result of the speech of Chairman Bilawal Bhutto at the Workers Convention when he declared total solidarity with farmers’ community and made it clear that the PPP would practically join their struggle till the acceptance of their demands.
In a statement on Tuesday, he termed the Kissan Package of PM too little too late as they had been destroyed by the anti-farmer policies of the government since it came to power. The farmer community has been going in losses during the last consecutive four crops adding the GST should be withdrawn from the agriculture machinery and agriculture produces.
He demanded that the support price of cotton, rice, potato and sugar cane be fixed without delay ensuring suitable returns of the produces. The mere cosmetic measures will be deemed as rubbing the salt on the wounds of the farmers of the country, he maintained. He also rejected the electricity rate @ Rs. 10.80 per unit for agricultural tube-well demanding flat rates should be fixed instead. He reminded that the PPP previous government notified electricity rate for tube-well @ of Rs. 8 per unit.
He pointed out that agriculture was the backbone of the country’s economy but this government’s policies had crippled it and the rural economy of the country was in a very bad shape. The agriculture sector, he said, was the source of 70% population of the country therefore it should not be subject to step-motherly treatment by mandarins under any circumstances.
He said the history was witness to the facts that the PPP successive governments had been always farmers’ friendly leading to the improvement of rural economy to a great deal. The PPP previous government enhanced support price of wheat during its year from Rs. 625 to 950 per 40 kg and the country attained the status of wheat exporting country from the wheat importing country the same year, he argued.
agriculture: PML-N MPA Zaeem Qadri has said Manzoor Wattoo should think before speak. He said Manzoor Wattoo and company had ruined the farmers due to poor policies.
Commenting on the statement of Manzoor Wattoo, Zaeem Qadri said PPP gave full proof of enmity to farmers practically during its tenure. He said energy crisis created during PPP era ruined agriculture production. Qadri said the farmers’ package of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will prove a game changer for the development of farmers and promotion of agriculture. He said this mega package for agriculture was unprecedented in the history of the country. He said the PML-N government was farmer-friendly and the credit of historic relief package of 341 billion rupees for farmers goes to PML-N.