Pre-budget meeting: Ruling party’s lawmakers take up cause of farmers

Party urges Nawaz to introduce subsidies to ensure greater competitiveness

ISLAMABAD: Lawmakers from the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz took up the cause of “over-exploited” farmers on Thursday and appealed to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to give priority to the agriculture sector, The Express Tribune has learnt.

The appeal was made at a pre-budget meeting of the parliamentary party leaders of the PML-N that was chaired by the prime minister.

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar briefed the parliamentary party leaders about the salient features of budget 2015-16. He told the party’s lawmakers about the economic survey and the budget. Nawaz then sought proposals from the party’s lawmakers.



Sources said that a majority of lawmakers had urged the PM to pay more attention to the agriculture sector as farmers were economically struggling. They proposed that the government increase its allocations for the agriculture sector. They appealed for a hefty subsidy for farmers which would ensure intake of core commodities.

The lawmakers underscored to the PM that in international market prices are usually low but here in Pakistan there is no such arrangements which protects and preserves commodities.

They proposed the formation of cold storages for preserving crop commodities.

The PM was apprised that when PML-N came to power it raised the PSDP from Rs300 billion to Rs400 billion. They reminded the PM that he had mentioned that in the previous year they consumed Rs540 billion of PSDP. They said that PM had vowed at that time that in the next PSDP, the government would allocate Rs700 billion for development works.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 5^th, 2015.