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Abadgars concerned over rice crisis

RECORDER REPORT

HYDERABAD: The Sindh Abadgar Board has expressed grave concern over the rice crisis and demanded of the federal government to save the growers from total bankruptcy.

In a statement issued here on Saturday, the SAB President, Syed Ali Mir Shah, said that over one million tonnes of rice was available for export in Sindh but no one was prepared to buy this surplus.

He said last year rice was sold at Rs 300 per maund but this year no one was prepared to pay even Rs 175 per maund.

He said that as the rice market had crashed, the growers had no money to invest in cultivation of wheat, sugarcane and other Rabi crops.

He feared that if the situation remained unchanged, the growers will have no money even to pay taxes.

Syed Ali Mir Shah said that the rice crisis was the result of the corrupt practices of exporters who had formed cartel to manipulate the prices.

He also accused the rice exporters of committing fraud with the outside buyers and added that for the malpractices of the exporters the growers were being punished.

Quoting an example, the SAB president said that only recently, Indonesia had floated tenders for the import 400,000 tonnes rice but had imposed special conditions for Pakistan rice.

These conditions, Shah said, included that the payment would only be made after the inspection of the rice when the ships reached Indonesia.

He said that this condition was imposed due to previous frauds with Indonesia.

He demanded of the Pakistan government to order an inquiry through its embassies and blacklist the unscrupulous exporters.

Besides, he said, on the pattern of the cotton growers, relief should also be given to the rice growers by directing some agency to purchase Irri rice from the Sindh growers.