OKARA, Jan 13: Potato growers and vegetable market commission agents held a demonstration on Tuesday over very low rates of the commodity. No business was conducted in the market throughout the day.

They said like previous year, the rate of a 105-kilogram potato bag ranged between Rs200 and Rs270 whereas the cost of input had risen sharply. Moreover, the use of substandard pesticides also raised cost, they said.

They claimed that at present about 12,000 potato bags were arriving in the market from fields daily. The number would increase to 25,000 in the third week of January, they added.

Later, growers representatives Rao Ikram Ali and fruit and vegetable market office-bearers Chaudhry Ashraf and Chaudhry Liaquat met the DCO and EDO (revenue) and demanded that the government should take immediate notice of the bad situation and manage export of the crop.

DONKEY CARTS: Hundreds of donkey cart owners took out a protest procession against the Tehsil Municipal Administration which has decided to impose Rs300 fine for overloading.

They gathered outside district courts complex here to protest against the decision. The district government high-ups assured them of a sympathetic consideration of their demand.

CADET COLLEGE: Defence Minister Rao Sikandar Iqbal has stated that Rs700 million will be spent on establishing a cadet college as the president has given approval of the project.

He was speaking at the annual dinner of the District Bar Association at the Quaid-i-Azam Hall on Monday. Mr Iqbal said Rs100 million for city sewerage scheme have been allocated by the prime minister and chief minister - Rs50 million each. Earlier, he inaugurated the newly constructed DBA cafeteria completed at a cost of Rs1 million.

SUICIDE: A man allegedly committed suicide on Tuesday over a domestic issue. Aslam, a father of an infant, had a quarrel with his family. He went to fields and took poison. He died before getting any medical aid. Mandi Ahmad police are investigating.

Opinion

Editorial

Sustainable path?
Updated 13 Jun, 2026

Sustainable path?

The FY27 budget is the first clear signal that the government is ready to transition from stabilisation to growth.
Prioritising education
13 Jun, 2026

Prioritising education

THOUGH the improvement in the country’s literacy rate may be slight, as highlighted by the Economic Survey, it ...
Poverty’s rise
13 Jun, 2026

Poverty’s rise

AS attention turns to the government’s plans for the coming fiscal year, one set of figures deserves particular...
A difficult story
Updated 12 Jun, 2026

A difficult story

Unless productivity becomes the dominant target of economic policy, Pakistan will continue to oscillate between crises and fragile recovery.
Rough waters
12 Jun, 2026

Rough waters

AMONGST the key potential triggers for fresh conflict in South Asia is water. The Indian state is behaving in an...
Politicised football
12 Jun, 2026

Politicised football

ALMOST three-and-half years since Lionel Messi led Argentina to FIFA World Cup glory, the latest edition of...