Islamabad
Parliamentary Secretary for Food Security Amir Sultan has said that the federal government will take up the issue of citrus prices and other problems of farmers with the Punjab government.
Amir Sultan said that agriculture sector was a devolved subject and the prices for commodities were set in provinces.
He said that on a call attention notice, we have written a letter to the provincial government and the matter of citrus growers will be taken up and then the issue will be discussed with the movers of the motion.
The Calling attention notice was served by the Parliamentarians before National Assembly (NA) of Pakistan on kinnow rate for farmers and seek clarification from Minister of National Food and Security; Government of Pakistan.
MNA Mohsin Shahnawaz Ranjha, mover of the notice, had pointed out that Citrus Exporters Association (PFVA) had reduced the prices of citrus by Rs250 per 40 kilogram from Rs850 to Rs600 for this season.
He said the Federal Ministry for Food Security only addressed issues of phytosanitary conditions and quality control. It was early in the season and the prices of citrus would change as the fruit would be exported later on, he added.
Ranjha said export was a federal subject and its rates for export were pegged with international prices, adding value of the rupee against that dollar had fallen considerably. The farmers in his constituency exported $ 200 million of citrus last year, he added.
On this move, FPCCI Former Chairman on Horticulture Exports and Secretary General Businessmen Panel, Ahmad Jawad viewed it is a rightly decision of the Parliamentarians to take up the important matter in the National Assembly because right now kinnow belt in Punjab emerged as a Industry for kinnow exports, if we don’t offer appropriate rates to farmers this year then ultimately kinnow exports may suffer which will be commence on December 1st. “Now let see how Punjab Government would respond”.
“Similarly the silent lip of the local administration of Sargodha has proved that they don’t want to resolve the important issue which was exist from the last two months in the largest belt of kinnow producing due to some pressure,” he added.
Jawad also said last year kinnow were purchased for Rs 850 per mound and now proposed rate of Rs 600 rate which is highly unjustifiable after the recent inflation and the revised prices of DAP, Potash and Urea have gone up compare with last year including the price of diesel reached up to Rs 133 per litre, so how growers can compete when cost of production already increased.He said that during former government tenure Urea and DAP prices were Rs 1200 and Rs2380 per bag respectively and in the incumbent government the Urea and DAP Prices are Rs 1925 and Rs 3395 per bag respectively and the price of potash Rs 4200”.—INP
