Govt to protect interests of farmers in future too: CM

LAHORE, Dec 21 (APP):Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad
Shehbaz Sharif Thursday said the government has protected the
interests of farmers in the past and the same would be
done in future as well.
He said this while meeting with the delegations of Kissan
Ittehad and presiding over a meeting of Punjab Agriculture
Commission here.
“I will go to every extent for securing stakes of
farmers of Punjab and sale of sugarcane at the rate of
Rs 180 per maund will be ensured at every cost and the
complaint of lessening of sugarcane weight will not be
tolerated,” he said. The sugar mills would be bound to
give original receipt to farmers and the mills giving
any temporary receipt will be prosecuted”, he added.
The sugar mills would implement the decisions in letter
and spirit and in case of any violation by the owners, action
will be taken, he said and added action will be taken against
the mill owner upon the complaint of decrease in price or
weight of the sugarcane.
The farmers had sown the sugarcane crop with hardwork
and this will not be allowed to be wasted and no cruelty or
injustice will be done with sugarcane farmers, the CM said.
The chief minister, while constituting a committee to
implement the decisions made for farmers, said that the
committee would review implementation status of
the decisions.
The commissioners, deputy commissioners and police officers
would be bound to implement the decisions made for the
protection of interests of farmers and action will be taken
against concerned administrative and police officers in case
of complaint of any violation of the decisions, he said.
He directed that agriculture, industry and health
departments’ ministers and secretaries should personally visit
to inspect the ground-situation and present their reports.
President Kissan Ittehad Khalid Khokhar lauded the chief
minister for taking the best decisions in favour of farmers.
Chairman Sugar Mills Assiciation Punjab Javed Kiani,
President Kissan Ittehad (Ch Anwer Group) Rao Tariq Ashfaq,
President Kissan Ittehad Pakistan Sarfaraz Khan and
progressive farmers were also present.