ISLAMABAD : September 29,2022:. A big rally of the farmers took a central stage in the federal capital on Thursday.
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The farmers representative body , Kissan Ittehad, is leading the rally in support of its demands.
The rally entered in Islamabad in morning on Thursday and in hours it choked the whole capital city.
The farmers from across Pakistan are participating in the rally to press the government of Shahbaz Sharif to accept their demands.
The farmers leaders have put a set of demands including resumption of subsidized power for tube wells , availability of fertilizers at subsdised rates, besides announcing Rs 4000 support price for wheat for upcoming season
Khalid Mahmood Khokhar, president Kissan Ittehad , said while addressing to the participating farmers of the rally that the protest of the farmers will continue till the government accepts all demands of the farmers
The farmers are in real problems as rising prices of fertilisers, pesticides and over and above all this huge increase in electricity rates and all times high price of diesel used for tube wells have left them in shock.
Khalid Khokhar spoke to NEWSMAN on these teasing issues confronted with the agriculture sector and said ” How can the Kissans of this country grow crops when per acre input cost is more than income”.
Khalid Khokhar is absolutely right , agriculture sector is not a first priority in Pakistan for years. All governments in the past simply ignored agriculture sector and it disappointed the farmers . It resulted in continuous downfall in per acre yield in Pakistan.
Pakistan ‘s per acre yield is the lowest in the region and its basic reason has been non prioritisation of agriculture sector.
Today Pakistan is fast turning into a grain importing country. Its production of all major crops like wheat,rice is not sufficient to cater to need of its 220 million population.
In recent years, Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) government delayed key decisions like announcement of support price for wheat and as a result farmers excluded wheat , rice and other main crops from their crops pattern. This approach has exposed Pakistan’s food security.
Although the Shahbaz government has accepted a demand of the Kissans regarding power supply to the tube wells at concessional rates, there is urgent need for the government. to give serious consideration to the demands made by the protesting kissans