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FAP for steps to avert agri
marketing crisis
LAHORE-Farmers Associates Pakistan
(FAP) has demanded of the government to take appropriate steps
in consultation with growers and industrialists for averting
sugarcane marketing crisis in coming months.
This was stated by Chairman FAP Shah Mahmood Qureshi while
briefing the newsmen after extraordinary general body meeting
here at Press club on Tuesday. He said that marketing of
agriculture produce, including sugarcane, rice and cotton, is
one of the biggest issues faced by the farmers. He underlined
the need to resolve the issue without further delay with a
view to saving farmers community from exploitation.
Qureshi said that FAP would launch concrete efforts in
collaboration with Agro Industial Council, aiming at finding
amicable solution to these problems. He said that FAP
constituted three committees for preparing suggestions to
resolve marketing crisis of cotton, sugar and paddy crop in
the country. "Farhatullah Khan will be head of the committee
for cotton, Naeemullah Malik for sugar and Hamid Malhi for
paddy crop, " he informed.
Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that government should take into
confidence the farmers community before finalising the $ 250
million loan of Asian Development Bank. He said that the
implementation of the conditions, set for sanctioning of the
loan would have far-reaching effects on the agriculture sector
of the country.
Therefore, government should not take any decision hastily,
especially without consulting the farmers. He expressed the
fear that the flour mills of NWFP and sugar mills of Punjab
would be closed following the implementations of such
conditions. Subsequently, the main affectees would be again
the growers.
He supported the government efforts for taking steps to
produce contamination-free cotton saying that the step would
help the growers to get better return. He said that with the
provision of contamination-free cotton, the domestic textile
industry would also get better price of their products in the
international market.
Stressing the government to give priority to the agriculture
sector of the country, FAP chairman said that there is no
other way to eradicate poverty and unemployment in the country
but to ensure better return to the farming community of their
produce. Which, he added, would produce positive results in a
very short span of time. He said that in this connection,
industrialists and government both should cooperate with the
growers.
Qureshi said that FAP would organise farmers at union councils
levels. In this connection, he said farmers have been
organised in Multan, Jhang, Khanewal, Bahawalpur, Khushab and
Okara districts. The basic aim to organise the farmers was to
resolve their problems.
August 29
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