Kissan Package: Khushab farmers seek fair distribution

Say none of the growers in the area have received financial assistance

SARGODHA:

Hundreds of farmers from Hadali and Boala villages of Jauharabad staged a protest demonstration on Saturday against the Revenue Department for not disbursing funds under the Prime Minister’s Kissan Package.

The protesters gathered in front the DCO’s office and chanted slogans against revenue officials.

Talking to newsmen, Muhammad Ameer, one of the protesters, said the government had announced financial assistance of Rs5,000 per acre to small farmers. He said they had set up centres to facilitate farmers in this regard.

“However, none of the farmers in Hadali and Boala villages have received the assistance,” he said.

Ameer said that this was one of the latest in a series of broken promises.

“Earlier this year, the government had promised compensation for farmers affected by the floods,” he said. He said the compensation offered for the cotton and rice losses suffered by farmers of the region had not been enough. “The amount we received after months of waiting was measly,” he said. He said revenue officials had distributed the compensation among their “favourites.” “Now we are witnessing a similar trend under the Kissan Package,” he said.

Muhammad Javed, another protester, said the Hadali area consisted of 34,000 acres of cultivable land.  “It is among the foremost areas of Khusab district in terms of agriculture,” he said. He said the area and its farmers had been ignored in prime minister’s assistance package for growers.  “Centres have been set up for the farmers but when we visit those, we are told we not eligible,” he said.  Later, a delegation met the Khushab DCO and told him that none of the farmers from their areas had received the financial assistance promised to them. They demanded that a list of eligible farmers if the area be prepared and made public so that they could be provided the financial assistance in a transparent manner.

A spokesman of the DCO’s office said the farmers had been assured their demands would be addressed by senior authorities. He said they had been told that action would be taken against revenue officials unjustly denying farmers assistance under the package.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 15^th, 2015.