Farmers launch protest against hoarders

Report says artificial shortage deepens crisis

LAHORE:

The farmers’ patience finally ran out on Thursday over the helplessness of the district administration and the “maneuverings” of what the farmers called “the fertiliser mafia”.

Angry farmers from different villages staged protests at various places and blocked the National Highway near Iqbal Nagar in protest.

They also chanted slogans against the Punjab government and the district administration during the protest.

The embarrassing aspect of this tale is that neither the supremacy of law nor the department of agriculture nor the tehsil and district administration is to be seen anywhere.

According to a report, on the occasion of wheat cultivation, “the profiteering fertiliser mafia created an artificial shortage through hoarding” due to which the crisis of fertiliser was deepening in the district by the hour while “the fertiliser mafia” is taking advantage of the crisis.

They are exploiting the farmers economically by selling the DAP and Urea fertilisers at higher prices than the ones fixed by the government because it is not possible to grow crops without fertilisers. Of all the commodities, the wheat crop is the most important crop being the most basic need of the rich and poor people alike.

Therefore, acquisition of fertilisers is the first requirement to ensure timely planting of wheat. Otherwise, in both cases, there is a serious risk that wheat production will be severely affected due to non-availability of fertilisers or untimely cultivation.

This will not only cause economic losses to the farmers but will also have a negative impact on the common man due to the crisis caused by the shortage of wheat.

On the other hand, the district administration seems to be completely helpless in controlling the anti-state elements that are creating artificial scarcity through hoarding while the time for the sowing of wheat was also passing rapidly.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 25^th, 2021.