Call to regulate harvesting machinery rent.

HARIPUR -- The wheat growers have demanded of the district administration to regulate the rent of harvesting machinery in line with the recent reduction in petroleum prices.

The harvesting of wheat crop had begun in the district last week that coincided with a reduction in oil prices.

Landowner Masood Khan of Tareenabad told Dawn that the owners of reapers and threshers first fixed machinery rent on their own few years ago and then kept increasing it on yearly basis citing higher petroleum prices as the reason.

He said Rs3,000-Rs3,500 per hour was charged for the use of reaper, which made bundles of harvested crop, Rs1,300-Rs1,500 per hour for a simple reaper, which was fitted in front of the tractor, Rs1,200 per hour for rotaweeder machine used for harvesting, and Rs1,300-Rs1,400 per hour for the thresher.

The landowner said the diesel price had come down to Rs82 per liter but the harvesting machinery charges were not reduced and...