Farmers call budget agenda of IMF.

LAHORE -- Farmers have rejected the federal budget as an agenda of world 'imperialist' agencies like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) containing no relief for the growers and commoners.

An online meeting of 28 farmer outfits affiliated with the Pakistan Kissan Rabita Committee said on Tuesday that allocating Rs10 billion for agriculture in the budget by the federal government of an agrarian country tantamount to a cruel joke with the sector.

The participants said the lockdowns in the wake of Covid-19 affected farming and rural economy in multiple ways, especially horticulture, floriculture and dairy products, so much so that the farmers could not meet even their expenses.

They lamented that the government picked by force all the wheat from growers at a rate of Rs1,400 per 40kg and now the same was available in the open market at Rs1,800 per 40kg. Poor quality seed, spurious pesticides, locust attack and climate change affects were the other factors that hit the farming community, while the government neither conducted any survey to ascertain the losses nor apportioned funds for offsetting negative impacts of these factors on agriculture.

Agriculturist Mian Asif Sharif said Rs60bn initially allocated for coronavirus-hit farmers were devoured by fertilizer and pesticide factories and large farm holders and the Rs10bn earmarked in the recent budget would also go to the same classes leaving the small farm holders high and dry.

Aziz Baloch from Balochistan did...