LARKANA, Dec 2: A complete strike was observed in Shahdadkot on Friday against reduced procurement rates of IRRI-6 and IRRI-9 varieties of paddy. Trade activities came to standstill in the town. The call for the strike was given by the Sindh Abadgar Board (SAB).

A large number of growers demonstrated at the Koto-Moto chowk.

Speaking on the occasion, Mohammed Ishaque Mughiri, the president of the SAB, Atta Hussain Junejo, Wajid Khan Chandio and Serai Qurban Khuhawar criticized the government for its indifferent attitude towards the growers.

They said that under the conditions when agriculture inputs had increased, the paddy growers were compelled to sell the paddy varieties of IRRI-6 and IRRI-9 at the rate of Rs290 per 40 kilograms.

Despite bumper crop this year, the farmers and small Khatidars were facing financial loss from rice exporters and local purchasers, as both of them were paying reduced procurement prices.

The exporters were purchasing a bag of rice for Rs1,300 instead of Rs1,500 from the growers.

The farmers were already surviving against heavy bank loans, they said.

The protesters said that they could hardly cultivate another crop if the stocks of rice were not sold at reasonable rates on time.

The SAB had convened a meeting of growers from three talukas – Shahdadkot, Qubo Saeed Khan and Sujawal – on Sunday to prepare a strategy for future.

They asked the government to accept their demand of fixing the support price of Rs450 per 40 kilograms and making procurement arrangements within two days.

Meanwhile, the growers in the Sujawal taluka subscribing the demand of the SAB held a protest demonstration and blocked a main road on Friday.

They were chanting slogans for official paddy procurement arrangements. Police tried to clear the road but the farmers refused to surrender.

INJURY: Imdad Ali Abbasi, acting as an election officer for holding elections of the Primary Teachers Association, was injured on Friday in a scuffle between two groups of the primary teachers.