Lahore: Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Lahore Ziauddin Ansari Advocate has said that farmers are the backbone of the country’s economy, but the incompetence of the rulers, anti-farmer policies, and flawed agricultural strategies have pushed the farming community into severe economic crisis. He demanded that the government formulate an effective and comprehensive policy for wheat procurement to ensure farmers receive fair compensation for their hard work.He expressed these views while addressing a large gathering organized in connection with the Farmers’ Jirga and membership drive in South Lahore. On this occasion, Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami South Lahore Abdul Rasheed Mirza, President JI Kissan Punjab Central Mian Rashid Manhala, local leadership, farmers, and a large number of residents were also present.Ziauddin Ansari Advocate stated that the government’s much-publicized initiatives, including Kissan Cards, the Green Tractor Scheme, solarization of agricultural tube wells, and provision of agricultural machinery, have completely failed to deliver relief to farmers. He said that even last year, wheat was not procured from farmers at the officially announced rates, causing serious financial hardship to the farming community. He warned that if the same attitude continued this year, a strong protest movement would be launched against the government.He further stated that support prices for major crops such as wheat, cotton, and sugarcane are being fixed far below production costs, while the skyrocketing prices of fertilizers, seeds, pesticides, electricity, and diesel have made farming economically unbearable. He alleged that the collusion of middlemen and hoarders has deprived farmers of fair returns for their produce, forcing them deeper into debt.At the conclusion of the gathering, several participants obtained membership of Jamaat-e-Islami and reaffirmed their commitment to supporting the struggle for farmers’ rights.
