LAHORE - All Pakistani farmers’ associations are united and will never let anybody to destroy our agriculture. If Pakistani government under US pressure agrees to open Wagah border for agricultural products from India, the farmers of the country will block the Wagha border.” This was stated by Khalid Mehmood Khokhar, central president of Pakistan Kisan Ittehad Dr. Malik Tariq Bucha, President Farmers Associates Pakistan and Mr. Hamid Malhi, director Farmers Association of Pakistan.
Kisan Ittehad regretted that there is already unequal distribution of water in both countries and the construction of new dams by India on the rivers in Pakistan’s share has further enhanced the existing scarcity of water that further compounds the disadvantage for Pakistani farmers and hampers the future of agricultural sector, thus, causing decrease in the agriculture production in Pakistan.
He said that in addition to this India’s agriculture sector is highly subsidized as their government gives subsidies to the tune of $50 billion. The other favors Indian farmers get from their government include free electricity, cheap urea, water for irrigation, seeds in low prices, cheap transportation, subsidized pesticides, and agricultural machinery like tractors. In short, the Indian government supports its farmers and agricultural sect.