OKARA: Both groups of the Pakistan Kissan Ittehad (PKI) on Saturday apprised the provincial agriculture secretary and the Sahiwal Division commissioner of their issues.

A meeting was held at the DCO office, where PKI’s Chaudhry Muhammad Akram, Sanaullah Dola, Ghulam Mustafa Wattoo and Abdul Latif Sukhera put up their demands to the higher-ups.

The meeting was arranged to placate the farmers after Chaudhry Anwar group announced a protest on May 18 in front of the Punjab Assembly.

The PKI leaders informed the meeting that agriculturists had been suffering heavy losses for the last many years as even their input cost was not recovered and agriculture income tax was unjustified in such a situation.

They also claimed that the federal and provincial governments had not waived the default amounts of the electricity bills of the agri tubewells despite making a commitment.

It was further demanded that the government was providing imported urea at Rs1,750 and DAP at Rs2,800 per bag to the agriculturists instead of their arrival cost at the Karachi port of Rs1,100 of urea and Rs1,400 of DAP bag.

A handout said agriculture secretary Mahmood Ahmad and Commissioner Babar Hayat Tarrar assured the PKI that their demands would be looked into. They said Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had given a special package of Rs1.25 billion to the growers.

Published in Dawn, May 8th, 2016