Zardari terms agriculture package for farmers a ‘political gimmick’

Former president alleges federal government of 'fooling farmers ahead of LG polls'

Former president and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday termed the government's agriculture relief package for farmers a “political gimmick,” saying it was aimed only at fooling the farmers ahead of local government polls in Sindh and Punjab.

While rejecting the bailout package, Zardari said the package was “devoid of substance and sincerity and aimed only at deceiving the farmers,” reads a statement issued by the PPP.

“When opposition parties, the farmers and the people were agitating for rescuing farmers from loss, the government turned a deaf ear but as soon as the LG polls were announced it has offered a relief package but without specifying any source of funding.”

Read: PM announces Rs341 billion relief package for farmers

Criticising the federal government for neglecting the agriculture sector, Zardari alleged it was diverting the scarce resources to politically visible projects such as Metro bus for drawing political mileage rather than serving the interests of people.

The co-chairman lamented the federal government had deliberately targeted the farmers hoping to weaken the political power base of opposition parties, not realising the enormous damage done to the country in the process.

Read: Farmers divided over ‘agricultural relief’

Zardari claimed despite the negative propaganda about the performance of Sindh government, the provincial government had not only been giving cash support to farmers but also giving away free fertilisers and seeds following the devastation caused by the floods in 2010.

“As a result, Sindh today is surplus in food enabling it to distribute more than one million bags of wheat free of charge in Thar alone,” he said.

He also alleged that instead of drawing lesson from the Sindh government the PML-N government was trying to malign the provincial government through federal agencies in an unconstitutional manner.

Instead of drawing lesson from the #Sindh government the PML-N government is haunting and (1/2) @AAliZardari

— PPP (@MediaCellPPP) September 16, 2015

maligning the provincial government through federal agencies in an unconstitutional and arbitrary manner. (2/2) @AAliZardari

— PPP (@MediaCellPPP) September 16, 2015

On Tuesday, PM Nawaz had announced Rs341 billion agriculture relief package for farmers, in a bid to spur sluggish growth in one of the country’s main economic sectors.

The package includes immediate cash grants for rice and cotton farmers, cuts in fertiliser prices, and a government scheme to pay insurance premiums for farmers who cannot afford them. It also includes collateral guarantees for loans, and tax breaks for the dairy, poultry and fish farming sectors.