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NWFP Assembly asks Centre to lift ban on gur export
ABDUL QADOOS
PESHAWAR (February 08 2005): The NWFP Assembly on Monday passed a unanimous resolution demanding of the federal government to withdraw ban on the export of gur and announce increase in the support price of the sugarcane in the province. Abdul Akbar Khan, parliamentary leader of the PPP-Parliamentarian in the provincial assembly, tabled the resolution after the suspension of the Rule No 124 of the assembly proceeding. The house adopted it unanimously.
Reading the contents of the resolution, the PPP MPA said that sugarcane is a cash crop of the province and due to the favourable weather, the crop and gur, a product manufactured from it, has a special attraction.
He said that due to its special taste and food, the gur produced in the province has big demand in the markets of Afghanistan and Central Asia. However, the resolution said that the federal government on the pretext of the serving of the interest of a particular sector of industrialists has banned the export of gur and left the farmers at the mercy of mill owners.
Furthermore on the other side, it said that the price of the sugarcane is also less than other provinces of the country. The sugarcane, Abdul Akbar said, was being sold at Rs 72 per 40 kilogram, Punjab Rs 65 while in the NWFP it is sold at minimum price of Rs 42.
Therefore, the resolution said, "The elected public representatives of the NWFP Assembly recommends to the provincial government to convey their feelings to the federal government to withdraw the ban on the export of gur and increase the price of sugarcane."
The current support price of sugarcane in the province, the resolution added, was fixed when the sugar was sold at Rs 16 per kilogram and now the price of one kilogram had reached Rs 30. Therefore, the resolution, said that "the provincial assembly is demanding to fix the price of 40 kilograms at Rs 80 and the payment according to the new price should begin from the current season.
Meanwhile, the house also passed unanimously two identical resolutions tabled by Bashir Ahmad Bilour of the ANP and Mian Nadir Shah of MMA.
The resolutions were again presented after Speaker Bakht Jehan Khan once again suspended the Rule No 124 of the proceedings.
The resolution said that according to the claims of the federal government, foreign reserves have been increased and the national economy is standing on sound footing, therefore, the provincial assembly demanded of the federal government to withdraw the recent increase in the prices of petroleum products and gas to enable the people to face the current chilly winter.
The speaker put both resolutions for vote and the house passed them unanimously.
ADP IMPLEMENTATION: Meanwhile, winding up the debate on the difficulties in the implementation of the Annual Development Programme (ADP), NWFP Minister for Industries Malik Zafar Azam said that Bannu district tops the development schemes in the province followed by Peshawar, Mardan and Mansehra.
Justifying spending more in Bannu district, he said that the district has always got priority in the developmental schemes. He said that the uplift budget of Bannu, home district of Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani, is 20 percent more than other districts.
He said: "Due to the delay in giving decision over the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award, all provinces are facing difficulties." However, he said that the financial discipline introduced by the MMA government in the province had been appreciated even by the World Bank."
Later, Speaker Bakht Jehan Khan read out the provincial governor's order for the prorogation of the assembly sine die.
Courtesy Business Recorder |
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