PESHAWAR: President Kisan Iteehad Khaled Khokhar Wednesday said that today agriculture in Pakistan is in dire straits and as an agrarian country we are importing vegetables, wheat and pulses by spending millions of dollars foreign exchange.
“I am very hurt that my mothers and sisters are giving their lives for 10kg of flour as people across the country are dying,” Khalid Mahmood Khokhar said while addressing a press conference here at Peshawar Press Club.
He said every year we are adding 5.5 million people to our population and did not care for the food as per needs rather the politicians are busy fighting for their own interests.
“People are martyred in lines for Rs 1000 worth of flour,” Khalid Mahmood Khokhar said.
According to the UNICEF report, eight out of ten children do not have access to food, Khalid Mahmood Khokhar said, adding, the people are being defended in parliament and there is no one to defend Pakistan.
After becoming a nuclear power, despite international sanctions, the country was run by agriculture, Khalid Mahmood Khokhar said. He said ironically colonies are being built on agricultural lands, but no legislation is being made in this regard.
In the whole world, there is no such cotton that can be cultivated in the land of Balochistan, Khalid Mahmood Khokhar informed. Due to ever-growing population and less steps for food production, Pakistan is facing a shortage of 300,000 metric tons and the farmer’s cast-off production has increased so it is up to the government that they should come and give land to small farmers, Khalid Mahmood Khokhar added.
Till date, no government in Pakistan has given priority based development as in Pakistan the fertilizer sack is Rs. 3500 while in India it is on Rs. 750, Khalid Mahmood Khokhar informed. He said we are spending millions of dollars on importing edible oil worth 6 billion dollars every year.
“I have made request to the Chief of Army Staff to come forward for food security,” Khalid Mahmood Khokhar
“I am tired of telling politicians about food shortage and making suggestions that land should be distributed among small farmers as the issue of food security in Pakistan has become a serious situation, a food security emergency should be imposed,” Khalid
Mahmood Khokhar further added.
The country needs food security more than border security, Khalid Mahmood Khokhar opined.
