KARACHI: Trade union leaders hold wrong planning, smuggling, hoarding and failure of the implementation machinery responsible for current food crisis.

Rulers’ apathy, pathetic contribution of statisticians, wadera culture and subjugation of tillers were the other factors responsible for the crisis, said labour leaders and teachers’ representatives who were critical of increases being made in oil prices, and also lambasted the previous government for creating a wheat crisis after massive export, and allowing open storage by private parties.

They advocated incentives to farmers, with the provision of quality seed and fertiliser and modern machinery to increase production, and said more land be brought under cultivation. The labour leaders also sought involvement of university and college students in carrying out surveys beneficial for the country.

Kaneez Fatima, a labour leader who represents port workers, proposed bringing more land under cultivation after its free distribution among the landless.

“Poor haris and farmers be given land on per unit basis, vis-à-vis 12 acre per unit in canal-irrigated areas and 25 acre per unit in barani areas. It will empower the farmer who would work devotedly to increase production, thus bringing about a revolution which would help achieve food autarky. At present, whatever the profit he earns is taken away be the landlord, she said.

She regretted that ‘waderas’ (landlords) always wanted imposition of policies of their choice. Pakistan is an agriculture-based country and it should not have faced grains crisis had these not been hoarded or smuggled out.

“Isn’t it a joke with the people that atta is being sold at Rs30 a kg and meat at Rs200 to Rs300 which even middle class people couldn’t afford.”

Although the government has fixed the minimum wage at Rs6,000 while the factory owner is reluctant to pay even Rs4,500, she said, adding the government should also control inflation as prices are going out of reach of the common man.

Manzoor Razi, another labour leader representing railway workers, said that atta crisis had deliberately been created by traders and landlords after it was hoarded or smuggled out to Afghanistan, with the connivance of government machinery.

“What sort of scarcity is this that the food has not totally vanished, it is available but on increased rates,” he said. The immediate solution is import of wheat along with a package of pay-raise for labourers to shield them from skyrocketing prices.”

Moreover, smuggling should be stopped and wheat stored in private godowns of landlords in parts of Punjab, the NWFP, Sindh and Balochistan be recovered.

“Raids be conducted on atta and sugar mills, private godowns etc., and those involved in hoarding be punished,” he said. Moreover, he said land reforms be initiated and loans be given to farmers.

Sheikh Majeed, Karachi Division general secretary of People’s Labour Bureau, who also represents PIA workers in the People’s Unity, was critical of frequent increases in oil prices and said it would make an adverse impact on prices of other commodities.

He said while India reduces rates to relieve pressure of oil prices on its people, Pakistan was increasing oil prices. He said government taxes in the petrol price amounted to Rs24 and 26 a litre, which the common man was paying.

“We are still paying a tax in the name of flood relief introduced at a time when East Pakistan was part of Pakistan. Although East Pakistan today is not with us, the surcharge is there,” he said, adding all such taxes be immediately withdrawn so that petrol rate could be brought down. Moreover, commission of fuel stations should be curtailed as it had made petrol and diesel costly.

He said honesty was necessary at all levels by politicians and the officialdom. “If thousands of bags of atta till today are being smuggled out to Afghanistan daily, it cannot happen without the involvement of agency concerned,” he said.

Hoarding should be stopped, and farmers be given maximum relief, and water and other necessities be made available to them on a war footing to achieve better crop, he said.

Mr Rafiq Ahmed, president of the National Labour Federation of Pakistan, had harsh words for hoarders and claimed that government policies led to the crisis.

He was not hopeful of any good from rulers and was critical of bureaucracy too.

He said rulers were busy in their own meddling, while some people with vested interest were involved in hoarding, smuggling and ‘import and export game’.

“It is rulers’ incompetence that we are facing such a crisis. The government, should take immediate steps to stop smuggling, and those involved in hoarding too be tracked down and wheat be brought in the open market.”

Prof Iftikhar, representing Sindh Professors and Lecturers Association, was of the view that there is no proper planning, especially statistics are not collected, or whatever data is available is not properly utilized.

He said in each country there is advanced planning, especially statistics are collected and utilized, but in our country our students and universities are not involved in the collection of data and it was the reason that nothing tangible happens here.“Oil problem has hit us because of excessive car financing (in the absence of any proper planning) by leasing companies who made money, and ultimately put a burden on citizens in a manner that the government had to withdraw subsidy on oil and resultantly prices were increased, thus a vicious circle of price spiral has started.”

Shamshad Qureshi, another labour leader who represents workers in Pakistan Steel, called for steps to curb hoarding and smuggling and wanted relief for the public in the shape of provision of atta on subsidised rates.

He said earlier Passco used to supply wheat to mills, but the previous government allowed open storage by private parties on the pretext that there was no room in government godowns for storage, and it ultimately led to smuggling and hoarding of the commodity.

He said now it was time that those causing harm to the country be taken to task.