April 24, 2008	Thursday	Rabi-us-Sani 17, 1429

SAHIWAL, April 23: The cost of agriculture inputs has increased 300 to 400 times as compare to governmental support price, which has resulted in low yield, say representatives of Anjuman Kashtikaran, Sahiwal.

“Recent increase in petrol and oil prices will ultimately affect agriculture inputs cost, which is out of reach of small farmers,” said Chaudhry Rehmat Ali, district president of the Anjuman.

He said the soaring prices of fertilizers had forced small farmers to abandon the use of chemicals.

“If agriculture experts visit wheat fields, they will find many plants in fields which are too weak to hold a wheat ear. The stem of the plant is lean because of less supply of phosphorus,” said Chaudhry Muhammad Shahzad, tehsil president.

He warned if agriculture prices continued going up, farmers would abandon chemicals which would decrease per acre yield from 25 to 30 percent. Farmer demanded that the government increase support prices of crops in proportion with the cost of agriculture inputs prices. — Shafiq Butt