Farmers' body demands agri-emergency in Pakistan

Pakistan Kissan Ittehad (PKI) on Saturday urged the federal government to declare an agriculture emergency in the country, ARY News reported.

In a statement, Kissan Ittehad Chairman Khalid Hussain Bath demanded the restoration of the Rs1.8 trillion package announced by Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif for the farmers’ community.

He said that the farmers will begin a protest after Eidul Fitr if the government fails to address the issues of the community. “A sit-in will be staged in Islamabad if needed.”

He lamented the hike in the price of the fertilizers, saying that the farmers were buying urea for Rs6,000 per bag.

The farmer leader claimed that there was not a clear government policy regarding the agriculture sector. He said that his organisation could guide the government about the crops that could bring foreign exchange to the country.

Kissan Ittehad President Mian Umer said that Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has not conducted a single meeting on the agriculture sector.

Criticising the government over its lack of interest in the sector, he claimed that the “sugar mafia” has not paid farmers after buying sugarcane from them.

Umer also decried the hiked electricity prices and its impact on the farmers, saying that farmers were paying Rs54 for per unit of electricity.

He said that the government was forcing the community to come out on the street and shut down the city.