AsiaNet-Pakistan Premier Editorial Content and Press Release Distribution Service
Islamabad, April 24, 2016 (PPI-OT):Patron Islamabad Chamber of Small Traders Shahid Rasheed Butt on Sunday said Farmer’s Package announced last year remained unimplemented which has increased troubles of farmers. The farming community which was already reeling under adverse conditions due to climate change, destruction of cotton crop and high input prices is disappointed due to delay in the implementation of the package, he said.
Shahid Rasheed Butt said that out of Rs340 billion allocated for the package, only Rs30 billion have been disbursed so far which has taken tool on eight million small farmers having land less than 12.5 acres. Similarly, the price of urea could not be brought down by Rs200 per bag as the government had promised while the target of agri loans could not be met.
He said that Pakistan’s sixty percent industry is agro-based and agriculture has a sizable share in exports as well as trading which will face a blow due to reduced agricultural output as this sector is being neglected since Musharraf’s era. He said that the commodity prices have fallen forty to fifty percent in the international market while apathy of authorities at home has keep growth of this sector below 2.5 percent.
Pakistan had fixed support price for nine items in 1990s but now we have only two items enjoying support price while India has ensured support price for twenty-five items. India is paying fifty billion dollars annually to subsidise urea but our government has slapped taxes on urea which is discouraging farmers. The prices of urea have multiplied six times during last fifteen years which is unacceptable. All taxes should be waived on agricultural inputs to given boost the sliding sector of agriculture, he demanded.
For more information, contact:
Jahangir Akhtar
Secretary General
Islamabad Chamber of Small Traders and Small Industry
Office No, 9 Block E, Super Market, Islamabad
Cell: 0344-5111174