Farm inputs: need for village sale centres

[THe SiLenT KiLLeR]

Farm inputs: need for village sale centres

TFARMERS in the Khyber Pukhtunkhwa have demanded of the government to provide them with easy and timely access to agriculture inputs so that they may sow the next crop.

With thousands of tons of wheat and maize seeds having been washed away by recent floods, there is an urgent need to procure and store substantial amount of the commodities in advance. We would like the government to provide these two
basic inputs to growers free of costs as they are hardly hit, said Murad Ali Khan, president of the Kissan Board Pakistan.

For this to happen, village-based agriculture inputs/services provision centres (AIPCs) should be set up.

Agricultural inputs are the main headache of farmers. In times of need, they either disappear from the market or are too costly and unaffordable for the poor growers. With the wheat sowing season not far away, there could no better time than
now to advocate the village-based setup, said Khan.

According to Niamat Shah, general secretary of the Anjuman-e-Kashtkaran Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, farmers income can be substantially increased if quality seeds, fertilisers, machinery, pesticides and other services are provided to them in time
and on cheaper rates.