MUZAFFARGARH: As the season of cotton picking has begun in Muzaffargarh district, the rates of cotton have disappointed the farmers. They demanded attractive rates for cotton, saying a large chunk of cotton crops had already been affected by rains and waterlogging here.

Cotton traders and middle men of cotton factories and ginners are offering Rs2,300 to 2,500 per 40 kilo of cotton, while farmers demanded that the rate be Rs5,000. Local farmers’ association representatives said that 200,000 acres of cotton had been damaged by rains while seed dealers had provided unverified seeds of cotton to them. They said the Agriculture Department did not hold workshops to train farmers.

Malik Ahmad Sanawan, a landlord, said that one acre of cotton cost him Rs20,000 while those cultivating the crop as tenant had to bear the cost of lease. He said the federal government had announced a Rs5,000 per acre relief which was just a peanut. Farmers also criticised Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan who had moved court against the farmer relief package.

They said that instead of protesting a too-little and too-late relief package, Mr Khan got it delayed. They said the current cotton prices would not cover the expenditures so the government should announce more compensation to farmers and their tenants.

Also, Cotton Ginners Association president Syed Dilawer Abbas Naqvi demanded that the government award a relief package to cotton ginners because of a low cotton crop this year.

Published in Dawn, October 10th, 2015

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