LAHORE: Jamaat-e-Islami emir Senator Sirajul Haq has advised the prime minister to arrange improved seed and subsidised fertilizers for the growers instead of talking about “eggs and poultry”.

Addressing a farmers’ convention at Mansoora here on Sunday, he said if the government provided interest-free loans, farm machinery, pesticides and irrigation water to growers, they could bring about a revolution in the country.

He said that like in the past, the incumbent premier was also surrounded by “sugar mafia”, rendering the common farmer helpless.

He demanded a task force at the federal and provincial level, with farmers’ real representatives on it, for resolving the growers’ problems.

Mr Haq also called for waiving the GST on agricultural inputs, and provision of low-priced farm inputs under a package.

He sought payment of the cane growers’ arrears by the sugar mills owners, fixing the rate of sugarcane at Rs250 per 40kg and giving CPR status to cheques issued by the millers to the farmers.

The JI emir said had the chief justice, instead of talking of population planning, launched a movement for bringing nearly 60 percent of the country’s barren land under cultivation, it would have created a hope among the masses. On the occasion, the JI chief formally approved the merger of the Kisan Board Pakistan into his party’s farmers wing.

Published in Dawn, December 24th, 2018