Bardana shortage: Farmers threaten to launch protest movement

Kissan Board secretary general says govt must fulfill their demands by July 1.

FAISALABAD: The Kissan Board will launch a country-wide protest movement against the policies of the present government if farmers’ demands are not met by June 1, board secretary general Malik Muhammad Ramazan Rohri said on Sunday.

Addressing a meeting of farmers at Chiniot Bazaar, he said the government had failed to provide any relief to farmers. “We are under a heavy economic burden. When the wheat season had started, the government did not lower electricity or fertiliser prices. Now, farmers are unable to sell their produce to the government as they are not being issued an adequate number of sacks,” he said.

Rohri said that there was no shortage of sacks. “The sacks are being issued to politically influential people or those who bribe the staff at the wheat procurement centres,” he said.

“The government had announced a good support price of sugarcane. However, the sugar mills are delaying the payments. Farmers are now facing difficulty in purchasing seed, fertilisers and pesticides for the next crop,” he said.

“The board has decided to launch a country-wide Kissan Raj Movement against the government from June 1. The government should immediately take steps to provide sacks to farmers and ensure that the sugar mills pay the outstanding dues,” he said.

“If the government does not pay heed to our demands, farmers will start a protest march to Lahore and stage a sit-in in front of the chief minister’s residence,” Ramzan said.

Aslam Khakwani, Mian Saeed, Abdul Jabbar and Rehanul Haq also addressed the event.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 18^th, 2015.