20000101

Abadgar Board asks

govt to save rice growers

from bankruptcy

RECORDER REPORT

HYDERABAD: The Sindh Abadgar Board has expressed grave concern over the rice crisis and demanded of the federal government to save the growers from total bankruptcy.

In a statement issued here on Friday, the president of the board, Syed Ali Mir Shah said that over one million tonnes of rice was available for export in Sindh but no one was prepared to buy this surplus.

He said last year rice was sold at the rate of Rs 300 per maund, but this year no one was prepared to pay even Rs 175 per maund.

He said as the rice market had crashed, therefore, the growers had no money to invest in the cultivation of wheat, sugarcane and other Rabi crops.

He feared that if the situation remained unchanged, the growers would have no money even to pay taxes.

Syed Ali Mir Shah said that the rice crisis were the result of the corrupt practices of the exporters who had formed cartel to manipulate the prices.

He also accused the rice exporters of committing fraud with the outside buyers, adding that for the malpractices of the exporters the growers were being punished.

Quoting an example, the board chairman said that only recently, Indonesia had floated tenders for the import of 0.4 million tonnes of rice but had imposed special conditions for the Pakistani rice. These conditions, Shah said included that the payment would only be made after the inspection of the rice when the ships reached Indonesia.

He demanded of the Pakistan government to order an inquiry against the Pakistani exporters through its embassies and black list the unscrupulous exporters.

Besides, he said, on the pattern of cotton growers, relief should also be given to the rice growers by directing some agencies to purchase Irri rice from the Sindh growers.