LARKANA: The Sindh Abadgar Board (SAB) along with some other organisations of growers organised a rally in Shahdadkot on Monday against what they described as “government’s apathy” towards them which was ruining their investment and labour in the cultivation of rice — the only major crop in this belt — by not fixing a reasonable support price on time.

The rally was taken out from Koto Moto Chowk located at a section of Tanveri Shakh (irrigation channel) in the city.

Qambar-Shahdadkot SAB president Ishaque Mughiri, Comrade Uris Selro, Wahab Pandrani and others who led the rally reminded the government that a majority of the district’s population had no alternative livelihood and, as such, they solely depended on the rice crop.

The rally participants held a three-hour sit-in at the protest venue demanding timely fixing of the support price for their crop as per the recommendation of growers’ representatives.

Mr Mughiri said that on the one hand, the government had turned a deaf ear to their demand and, on the other, rice millers and traders were fleecing growers with a meagre procurement rate, i.e. below Rs650 for 40 kilogram.

The yawning difference between the procurement price and the cost of production with increased rates of agricultural input was causing a huge loss to growers who, he said, were not even able to pay off their loans extended to them by banks.

The protesters raised slogans urging the federal government to come to their rescue on the support price issue as it had recently done in the case of sugar cane crop.

Referring to the recent Sindh High Court decision fixing Rs900 and Rs1,300 per 40 kilogram support price for paddy and wheat, respectively, the SAB leaders called for ensuring the implementation of the order.

They also demanded lifting of paddy through the Trade Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) and Pakistan Agricultural Stores and Services Corporation (Passco) and urged lawmakers to pursue their case on the floor of the elected houses through resolutions in order to save a big population from losses.

They also urged the federal government to explore export orders in the international markets for rice. The government should procure Basmati rice at the minimum rate of Rs1,800 per 40 kilogram, they said.

Wajid Chandio, Khalid Umar Khoso, Atta Hussain Junejo, Hazar Khan Jamali, Tarique Khuhawar and others also spoke.

Meanwhile, Larkana Deputy Com­m­­­i­ssioner Javed Ahmed Jagirani held a meeting with representatives of rice growers and millers to discuss the practice of causing one-kilo loss on every 40-kilo to growers during the paddy buying process.

Mr Jagirani asked millers to immediately stop the practice. He said that the matter would also be communicated to provincial government.

SAB vice president Gada Hussain Mahisar and representatives of the Bureau of Supply and Prices, Larkana Chamber of Commerce and Industry and agriculture department also attended the meeting.

Published in Dawn, November 24th, 2015