PESHAWAR
The long march of Pakistan Tahrik e Insaf is negatively affecting the trade and business of livestock and dairy products in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa especially in Peshawar where significant increase in prices of meat and chicken was witnessed owing to substantial shortage of supply of sacrificial animals from Punjab.
Lala Kala cattle market located on main GT Road in the outskirts of Peshawar, once flooded with cattle including buffaloes, cows, oxen, goats and sheep were almost deserted due to shortage of sacrificial animals’ supply from Punjab because of blockage of roads due to PTI long march that marred local livestock business. As a result, one kg meat of cow, oxen and buffalo was being sold at Rs700 per kg, Qeema (minced meat) at Rs800 and chicken at Rs 270 against Rs 600, Rs 700 and Rs 250 per KG respectively prior to the PTI long march.
Ibrahim Khan, an inter provincial cattle trader of Nowshera district told APP on Tuesday that he used to go to Punjab for purchase of sacrificial animals to get maximum profits in local market. However, since the start of PTI’s long march, “I am unable to bring cattle from Punjab for sale in Peshawar’s market due to closures of GT and link roads affecting his family inherited business immensely.”
“Prior to Imran Khan’s long march, a 350 kg buffalo was being sold at Rs 140,000 to Rs150,000 while now its prices soared to Rs170,000 to Rs180,000 in local market,” he said, adding keeping in view of shortage of cattle supply from Punjab, the local traders have increased prices of their domestic cattle.
Mosa Khan, another cattle dealer of Pabbi Tehsil Nowshera told APP that he used to visit Gondal, Gujrat, Sahiwal and Lala Mosa for purchase of animals due to high profit margin but could not visit there since Friday last due to massive traffic jams because of Imran Khan long march. He said one of my co-partner has extended his stay in Sahiwal due to GT Road closure and non availability of public transport.
Prior to the PTI long march, he said a transporter of a loader truck demanded Rs 20,000 while currently he refused Rs 25,000 offer as fare. Mosa Khan said that prices of animals’ fodder were also increased in the local market in the wake of the long march. He informed that previously one kg meat was available at Rs 600 in Peshawar that now jumped to Rs 700 per kg beyond the purchasing power of common man. Adnan Khan, a butcher of Peshawar city told APP that decline in meat consumers was witnessed due to high prices of the commodity. “These days, most of people asked just about meat prices and then return empty handed,” he said, adding shop’s rent, electricity and labour cost was currently being fulfilled through slaughtering of animals for marriage and families functions.
The supply of animals to Ring Road, Bacha Khan Chowk and Charsadda Road cattle markets were also affected from Punjab where local traders were seen merely roaming these days. Ikhtiar Wali Khan, Pakistan Muslim League-N spokesman told APP that long march and agitation politics of Imran Niazi has marred livestock and transport sectors in KP. He said poor cattle and dairy farmers of KP were largely affected from PTI’s aimless long march. “Who would be responsible for the massive economic loss of dairy and livestock farmers in case of death of their chicken and animals due to blockage of roads in Punjab for a longer period of time,” he said.
He said Imran Niazi was wasting energies in an aimless long march to save face after his corrupt practices were exposed by the Election Commission of Pakistan in Tosha Khan case and left farmers and livestock owners of flood hit areas of KP and Punjab alone.
On the other hand, he said that Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has announced a historic Kisan package for farmers, agriculture and livestock growers of Pakistan including KP and for all those affected by recent devastated floods.
He said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has won hearts and minds of hundreds of thousands of farmers, agriculturists, wheat and rice growers of Pakistan including KP by announcing a historic Kisan package. Wali said that Rs1,800 billion agriculture loans would be provided to farmers and agriculture growers besides Rs30 billion subsidy on urea fertilizers under the PM’s landmark package that received widespread appreciation from all especially the farmers community.
Besides reduction of price of Rs2500 per bag of DAP urea and waiving of import duty on use tractors, he said Rs5 billion interest-free loans were announced for landless peasants/farmers and provision of 1.2 million bags of wheat seeds for farmers of the flood affected areas, which sparked widespread jubilation among farmers and agriculture community.
He said provision of interest-free loans to convert three lakh tube-wells on solar energy and Rs50 billion loans on easy terms and conditions for youth besides 15percent reduction on duty parts of tractors would bring agriculture revolution in the country. He said the PM’s historic Kisan package would provide the much needed relief to hundreds of thousands of flood affected farmers of KP.
Sahibzada Hamaza Khan, district Nowshera PMLN KP President said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif deserve full credit and appreciation by announcing the landmark package for farmers and agriculture growers, adding it would immensely help timely cultivation of wheat and rice in the country.
He said provision of inexpensive gas supply to urea manufacturing companies and fixation of Rs13 per unit of electricity cost would make a positive impact on the agriculture production especially of wheat, rice and other crops in Pakistan.
The PMLN leader said poor farmers, livestock and agriculture growers of KP wanted a solution of their long inherited problems and that is why they kept their distance from PTI’s aimless long march. He said the country’s problems would be addressed only through a democratic form of government and parliament instead of agitation politics and long marches on roads.
They said the country’s can’t not afford political instability and long march and expressed the hope that Imran Niazi would sit together with the government negotiating team for resolution of his problems under the constitutional ambit and call off his unproductive long march in the country’s largest interest and wait for 2023 general election.
