PM Kisan Package: Balochistan left out in the cold
Most farmers in the province cannot qualify for Rs5,000 subsidy
ISLAMABAD:
Balochistan is still deprived of certain incentives offered under the largest ever Kisan package announced by the prime minister some four months ago.
One of the key components of the package was Rs5,000 in subsidy to be given to the farmers who grow cotton or rice on less than 12 acres of land.
However, this incentive could not be received by most of the farmers in Balochistan because they don’t fall within the prescribed bounds. Unlike other provinces, Balochistan’s cultivating area mainly comprises 16-acre blocks spanning the whole province.
A source in the Ministry of National Food Security and Research told The Express Tribune that the Balochistan government had written at least two letters to the federal government seeking revision in criteria for the farmers of the province.
The official said the ministry believed that it was a genuine concern for the provincial government and in a special summary to the Cabinet Division the ministry recommended a revision in the criteria with respect to Balochistan.
The official was optimistic that it would be considered once presented in the federal cabinet, which originally approved the package and still has the authority to make amendments.
Sources said it was recommended in the summary that the landholding limit must be increased for the cotton and rice growers in Balochistan from 12 acres to 16 acres so that they could avail themselves of the subsidy package.
Another official noted that policymakers did not keep these issues in mind before announcing the gigantic Rs341-billion package for the farmers.
The prime minister had unveiled the package in September last year including immediate cash grants for rice and cotton farmers, cuts in fertiliser prices and a government scheme to pay insurance premium for the farmers that cannot afford such payments.
Meanwhile, farmers from other provinces including Sindh have also complained about discriminatory attitude of the federal government as the incentive package was primarily focused on Punjab before the local government elections.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 1st, 2016.
Balochistan is still deprived of certain incentives offered under the largest ever Kisan package announced by the prime minister some four months ago.
One of the key components of the package was Rs5,000 in subsidy to be given to the farmers who grow cotton or rice on less than 12 acres of land.
However, this incentive could not be received by most of the farmers in Balochistan because they don’t fall within the prescribed bounds. Unlike other provinces, Balochistan’s cultivating area mainly comprises 16-acre blocks spanning the whole province.
A source in the Ministry of National Food Security and Research told The Express Tribune that the Balochistan government had written at least two letters to the federal government seeking revision in criteria for the farmers of the province.
The official said the ministry believed that it was a genuine concern for the provincial government and in a special summary to the Cabinet Division the ministry recommended a revision in the criteria with respect to Balochistan.
The official was optimistic that it would be considered once presented in the federal cabinet, which originally approved the package and still has the authority to make amendments.
Sources said it was recommended in the summary that the landholding limit must be increased for the cotton and rice growers in Balochistan from 12 acres to 16 acres so that they could avail themselves of the subsidy package.
Another official noted that policymakers did not keep these issues in mind before announcing the gigantic Rs341-billion package for the farmers.
The prime minister had unveiled the package in September last year including immediate cash grants for rice and cotton farmers, cuts in fertiliser prices and a government scheme to pay insurance premium for the farmers that cannot afford such payments.
Meanwhile, farmers from other provinces including Sindh have also complained about discriminatory attitude of the federal government as the incentive package was primarily focused on Punjab before the local government elections.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 1st, 2016.