LAHORE:A six-member delegation of Pakistan Kissan Ittehad, led by Central President Khalid Mehmood Khokhar, called on Punjab Chief Secretary Kamran Ali Afzal at the Civil Secretariat and briefed him about the problems of farmers here on Tuesday.
The meeting discussed the support price of wheat and sugarcane, Sugarcane (Development) Cess Fund, and measures for betterment of agriculture.
Talking to the delegation, the chief secretary said that the government was taking steps for progress of the agriculture sector and would continue to safeguard the rights of farmers. He said that it was the responsibility of the district administration to achieve the real objectives of the Sugarcane (Development) Cess Fund and ensure transparent utilisation of funds for the repair and construction of roads. He issued directions to all deputy commissioners to hold regular meetings of the committees, set up for the Cess Fund.
The delegation welcomed the efforts of the government for solving the problems of the farmers. Khokhar said that the Prime Minister is personally interested in improving the agriculture sector in the country. He said that due to the effective steps taken by the government the price of fertilizer has come down significantly and the efforts of the Punjab government in this regard were praiseworthy. He said that the government should ensure ample availability of urea fertilizer to farmers at the rate of Rs 1,768 per bag.
The delegates attending the meeting were: Rabia Sultan, Javed Abdullah, Hassan Akram, Bilal Israel Khan, and Saeed Jaffar Dogar.