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Steps being taken

to protect farmers'

interest: Shafi Niaz

ISLAMABAD: Member National Security Council M Shafi Niaz has said the present government is taking all possible steps to safeguard the interest of the farming community, providing them net returns of their produce.

In an interview to APP here on Sunday, he said the raise in the support price of wheat from Rs 240 to Rs 300 was a step to that direction.

Shafi Niaz said the government has carried out another very important and a far-reaching programme of desilting the canals, which will go a long way, raising the productivity of various crops.

He said the government is attaching high priority to the construction of farm to market roads, because the marketing of agriculture produce is one of the major problems, which the farmers are facing to dispose of their produce.

He said the government is taking very serious view regarding the sale of adulterated fertilizers and pesticides. Those who are caught indulging in such practices, are being fined, he added.

He said the government's intervention is imperative to ensure better price to the growers' produce.

While pleading for the continuation of support price for various crops, he underlined the need of reviewing the present system of determining cost of production, as well as establishing implementation agencies like Passco to achieve the desired results.

He said the growers suffered heavily in getting due return of their labour, particularly after the withdrawal of subsidies on agriculture inputs.

He opposed the idea of linking the domestic agriculture prices with the international price-system. This, he added, carries hardly any rationale in view of the fact that there is substantial variation in international prices and quality of produce.

He said, the implementation of the support prices should be carried out efficiently and effectively, adding, unfortunately this has been a weak point with the previous governments.

Even this year, similar situation arose in the case of cotton, onions, rice and potatoes, he said, adding, but the present government, realising the situation arranged the procurement of cotton by TCP by sanctioning a credit of around Rs 3 billion and directing Passco for the purchase of onions, potatoes and also for rice.

Shafi Niaz said that government is well aware of the fact that a strong and progressive agriculture sector is a must for the development of country's economic structure.

He said, agriculture is an important ingredient in the economic network of any country particularly Pakistan and it affects the living conditions of common man.

To a question he said World Bank and International Monetary Fund keep changing their policies time and again. In past these organisation do endorsed the existence of a system under which the farmers could get supporting prices of their products if their is sudden decline in the price of certain item. Presently they appreciate and suggest free marketing which in the given conditions do not suits Pakistan, he added.

He said, fertilizers constitute 25-30 percent share in over all agriculture expenditures and the withdrawal of subsidy on fertilizers prices may cause decline in production.

It is very hard for Pakistan to link the prices of its agriculture products with international market. In international market there exists an environment of very strong competition between countries, groups, regions, qualities of products and so on. There are frequent ups and downs in the prices of certain products to which the growers in our part of the world are not yet able to confront.

He said, documentation of agriculture tax will be a hard job for the peasantry of our country majority of which is illiterate. Government should consider some other methods to ensure the maximum collection of agriculture tax by putting minimum burden on growers, he suggested.

To another question about the future prospects of cotton growth, the member NSC said the per acre yield of cotton this year has witnessed an increase of 30.2 percent and 10.8 percent in the Punjab and Sindh over last year.

He said standing committee on cotton crop assessment will meet in Lahore on Monday to further assess the prospects of the cotton growth.

He noted that crop area during 1999-2000 registered an increase of 1.72 percent to a total of 2.963 million hectares (Punjab 2.329 million hectares, Sindh 0.634 million hectares) over last year.ÑAPP