LARKANA, Oct 7: The Larkana District Council in a resolution adopted at its session held on Thursday demanded that the government should procure the stock of Sugdasi rice to save farmers and millers from heavy financial losses.

Badar Abbasi tabled the resolution, stating that 90 thousand metric tons of Sugdasi rice was lying in godowns in the interior of Sindh and Balochistan. He said the Trading Corporation of Pakistan, due to pressure of big rice traders, had cancelled export contracts of Sugdasi rice on three occasions which had worried millers, small traders and growers of the two provinces.

Amir Bakhsh Gaad, Khair Mohammad Shaikh, Mukhtair Khichi, Qaim Khan Shaikh and others supported the resolution and called upon the government to direct PASSCO to procure Sugdasi rice.

They said millers, traders and farmers would not be in a position to pay bank loans if the rice stock was not procured. Some members of the council accused millers and traders of exploiting small growers by offering them low prices for their produce.

Speaking at the meeting, Sindh-Balochistan Rice Millers and Traders Association president Gada Hussain Mahisar blamed Punjab traders for the situation, saying they were behind cancellation of TCP tenders for exporting rice to Iran.

District Nazim Khurshid Ahmad Junejo assured the association of his support and said he would talk to authorities concerned for early procurement of the Sugdasi rice stock.

He said People's Party Parliamentarians MNAS and MPAS would take up the issue in national and provincial assemblies. The council also passed another resolution, which said the Taluka Municipal Administration should not execute development schemes.

In yet another resolution, the members expressed concern over the poor standard of education in the district and said nazims should visit their areas and prepare reports for improving the education standard.