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Farmers' bodies condemn ban
LAHORE, April 21:
Farmers' bodies on Tuesday condemned imposition of
Section 144 in the Punjab to check movement of
wheat, terming it "anti-farmers policy" of the
government. They were of the opinion that the
government, despite the ban, would not be able to
meet wheat procurement targets set for the year
but exposed farmers and the private sector to the
corruption of food department officials.
"The government never dared ban flour movement
when millers were selling wheat at Rs460 per 40
kilograms which they had purchased at Rs300," says
Hamid Malhi, executive director of the Farmer
Associates of Pakistan. "It was because the chief
minister himself was a miller and knew his
business. The millers were allowed to make fortune
at the cost of urban population."
Now, he said, when the farmers had started getting
some benefit, a ban had been clamped in the name
of saving urban population from higher prices and
ensuring food security. "The government has taken
this liberty as farmers are the most-neglected
lot."
Mr Malhi predicted that it would cost the
government dearly politically. He claimed that any
elected representative backing the ban would do it
at the risk of his political career.
"Banning wheat movement tantamount to playing with
economic life of farmers," says an official of
Agriculture Chamber. "The government has increased
price by Rs7 per 40 kgs, which is peanuts as far
as farmers are concerned. The government has to
import wheat at a price of Rs550.
Why should farmers pay the price of government
import bill? Growe-rs are now getting a price of
Rs380 per 40 kg, why should they suffer a loss of
Rs20 per 40 kgs. The government is politically so
weak that it could not resist international
financial institutions against the general sales
tax on agriculture inputs.
The ban goes against the spirit of free market
economy which the government has so
enthusiastically been defending and projecting,"
he said. The Kissan Board Pakistan, while
condemning the ban in the "strongest possible"
word, maintained that bureaucracy had misled the
chief minister.
KBP general secretary Ibrahim Mughal was of the
opinion that hollow political claims of pro-farmer
government stood exposed. "The government which
draws its political support from rural areas has
chosen to stab the same rural population by
banning the wheat movement.
The DAWN
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Pakissan.com; Advisory Point
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