Jamaat-i-Islami acting emir Liaquat Baloch has said that the government has broken the back of farmers by not increasing wheat support price.
According to a statement issued, the JI acting emir demanded an increase in support price of wheat. A couple of days ago, the Punjab cabinet has set the minimum support price of wheat for 2023-24 at Rs3,900 per 40-kg.
Baloch said, “There has been an unchecked increase in the cost of agricultural inputs including fertilizers, agricultural medicines, seeds, diesel, and electricity prices.” He said the fertilizer mafia seized farmers’ rights by imposing billions of rupees in subsidies on themselves.
Not fixing a uniform price for wheat across the country is also tantamount to discrimination against farmers, he added. The government should provide subsidies to farmers to offer cheap flour to the public and set the support price of wheat according to the farmers’ demand, he maintained.
“Pakistan is an agricultural country, and agriculture is the only sustainable and robust means to pull the country out of economic crises. However, there is no practical strategy for agricultural development in both federal and provincial governments. Agriculture is the only sector that can save the country from the clutches of the IMF and other international financial institutions,” he added.
