Farmers association demands resignations from ministers

Accuses federal and provincial ministries of failing to control locust situation

LAHORE: The Farmers Bureau of Pakistan (FBP) has demanded the resignation of provincial and federal ministers over failure in tackling the situation caused by the locust attack in Pakistan.

Accusing the federal and provincial agriculture ministries, especially of Punjab, of neglect, FBP President Zafar Hayyat said that the agriculture sector has been badly ignored and mismanaged by the government. “The locusts which entered into Pakistan almost a year ago have grown and are posing a big threat to the different crops under cultivation,” Hayyat informed reporters on Wednesday.

He added that the issue has been raised with the concerned persons but they did not seem to have the capacity or vision to address the issue. “The government has recently realised the importance of the situation, but we believe they have lost precious time in which they could have tackled the problem with little resources.”

Locust attacks to be more severe in coming years

Looking at the situation now, it will take a lot of resources to control the growth of locusts and their total elimination, the official added.

He said that the cotton crop needed immediate attention as it played a very important role in the agriculture and industrial sector. Hayyat requested the prime minister to take immediate notice of the situation and include this crop in the Prime Minister’s National Agriculture Emergency Programme.

He added that the farmers were already in a deep financial crunch and steps should be taken to reduce the cost of production. “This year corn growers suffered great loss in their Kharif crop, meanwhile, Rabi crop is in the process of cultivation.” 

Published in The Express Tribune, February 6^th, 2020.

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