LARKANA, Nov 5: A large number of growers and members of general public held a demonstration under the banner of Sindh Abadgar Board at Koto-Moto Chowk in Shahdadkot on Wednesday in protest against sudden drop in procurement prices of Irri-6 and Irri-9 varieties of paddy. The board leader Ishaq Mughairi and acting district nazim Atta Hussain Junejo who led the protest held local businessmen and exporters responsible for the drop in prices.

They said that the small growers and khatedars had become sandwiched between exporters and local traders as, on one hand, they were offering low prices and, on the other, making unjustified cuts on sale of paddy to rice millers.

The millers deduct Rs60 and 120 kilogram of paddy from each trolley in Shahdadkot, which had 75 rice mills and was a big grain market in the province, they complained.

The acting nazim announced that he would convene a special session of the district council to discuss the issue, which was very much connected with the country’s economy.

Growers in Qambar, Badah and Nasirabad also held demonstrations in protest against low prices and announced they would take extreme steps if prices were not fixed at Rs1,200 per 40 kg.