The Sindh government has demanded the federal government to develop a mechanism to fix the price of paddy (rice) like it did on wheat rate.The Sindh government has also decided to provide all agricultural subsidies to farmers through Benazir Hari Card in the future.  In this regard, Sidh Agriculture Minister Sardar Muhammad Bakhsh Mahar on Thursday said the Sindh government is well aware of the problems of rice farmers.  Sardar Mehar further said it is the authority of the federal government to fix the support price of paddy.  

Sindh Agriculture Minister demanded that the federal government should immediately announce the fixing of the support price of rice so that Sindh farmers can get fair compensation for their hard work.  Committees have been established at the district level to address the complaints of rice farmers and to keep in touch with them, Provincial Minister said.  He said Assistant Commissioners and secretaries of Market Committees will be the heads of the committees. The committee will take action against middlemen and submit a weekly report to the office of the Agriculture Secretary, Sardar Muhammad Bakhsh Mahar said.  

He said the Sindh government is trying to provide subsidies to rice farmers like wheat farmers so that they can reduce production costs and get better profits.  Now all agricultural subsidies will be available to farmers through Hari Card, for which the Sindh government is preparing a new transparent system, the Minister said. Farmers' complaints regarding illegal deduction from paddy prices should be redressed and all DCs have been directed in this regard, Agriculture Minister said.  The Minister directed officers should resolve disputes between farmers and middlemen at the district level.

Provincial governments, in view of the decisions of the federation and the IMF, cannot fix the price of any crop themselves, Agriculture Minister said. The federation should prepare a long-term and sustainable strategy for agriculture by taking the provinces and other stakeholders into confidence, Sardar Muhammad Bakhsh Mehar said. He said the Sindh government is providing direct financial assistance to small farmers through Benazir Hari Card.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)