Now, Pak farmers to hold tractor rally for MSP at home

Nagpur: After India, farmers in Pakistan, under the banner of Pakistan Kisan Ittehad (PKI), are also planning a tractor rally from Lahore to Islamabad on March 31 demanding

minimum support price

(MSP).

The PKI, a farmers outfit, has already expressed its solidarity with Indian farmers. Two months ago, a demonstration supporting the protests in India were also held at the Liberty Chowk in Lahore. It was attended by women farmers also, said PKI president Khalid Mahmood Khokhar, while talking to TOI on the phone.

He said, “We stand for farmers’ cause world over including those in India. Farmers in Pakistan are worse off than their Indian counterparts when it comes to MSP.”

Khokhar, who hopes for a huge support for the rally, said there is no MSP in Pakistan for any crop except wheat. “No government procurement has happened in last 10 years at least. So, we demand an MSP of Rs2,000 PKR (Pakistani rupee) per 40kg for wheat. The outfit has also called for declaring MSP for other corps like cotton, paddy and Maize,” he said.

Talking about the pitiable condition of farmers in Pakistan, Khokhar said rising cost of production has left the Pakistani farmers stressed. “Diammonium phosphate (DAP) fertilizer costs Rs5,200 (PKR) a bag, power and diesel rates are also exorbitant. The government should increase its spending on agriculture research to at least 2% of the budget as against 0.18%,” he said.

The PKI president said the cotton grower is the worse hit due to declining output in Pakistan. “In 1992, it was at 1.28 crore bales which has come down to 56 lakh at present. India on the other hand has touched 4 crore bales,” he said.

Khokhar further said as against general perception that the farmers lobby consists of landlords, as much as 97% of Pakistani cultivators have small holdings.

On free trade in farm items between the two countries, Khokhar said the PKI has been opposing it. “The Pakistani farmers first need to have a level playing field as against his India counterpart. The cost of production is much higher in Pakistan. For example a bag of urea costs Rs1,800 in Indian rupees, which is Rs550 in India,” he said.