KARACHI: Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FPCCI) has condemned the withdrawal of subsidy of Rs 400 per bag of fertilisers by the Ministry of National Food & Security (MNSFR).
FPCCI former vice president and Executive Member Fehmida Jamali said Pakistani farmers had already suffered due to a lack of policies for the farming sector and this move would further deteriorate their situation. She said, “I don’t see any logic why the ministry discontinued this subsidy with immediate effect, despite the fact that farmers were getting relief on fertilisers due to the subsidy.”
Fehmida said that we must realize that the agriculture sector was the foundation of Pakistan’s economy and changing it in terms of structure and composition would have negative implications with regards to its share in the country’s total output and its capacity to drive growth and development.
The FPCCI member also said that reduced agricultural production had resulted in poverty in the rural areas and had widened the gap between the rich and the poor.
