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Punjab legislators slam agri-marketing system in province

Posted on: Tue January 26, 2010

LAHORE: The agri-marketing system in the province was strongly criticised by legislators in the Punjab Assembly (PA) on Tuesday.Besides, motions of public interest regarding the allotment of three and five-marla residential plots to deserving, provision of loans for construction of houses on plots and starting the National Cadet Corps (NCC) training in schools, moved by Deputy Opposition Leader Muhammad Yar Hiraj and Nasim Lodhi, were passed unanimously on the private members day. The assembly session started after a delay of over an hour under the chairmanship of Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal Khan. During the hour-long session, the existing market committees in the Punjab and the poor role of their chairmen in various areas of the province were criticised by legislators. The members asked about the steps taken by the incumbent provincial government to improve the functioning of the market committees. The PA members, namely Hassan Murtaza (PPP), Muhammed Yar Hiraj (PML-Q), Amna Ulfat (PML-Q), Dr Samia Amjad (PML-Q) and Chaudhry Javed Ahmed (PML-N), were critical of the functioning of market committees and also questioned the role of their officials.Chaudhry Javed Ahmed, a PML-N MPA from Pakpattan, said the existing marketing system was in a deplorable condition and needed to be changed on a priority basis. He said the step would prove vital in addressing the grievances of growers and other people associated with agriculture.Syed Hassan Murtaza, a PPP legislator from Chiniot, in his question also attacked the role of chairmen of the market committees who, according to him, were doing no service to growers despite enjoying all perks and protocol. He also sought formulation of a policy for improvement of market committee functioning. Responding to the query of Hassan Murtaza, Minister for Agriculture Ahmed Ali Aulakh said as far as the government s agricultural policy was concerned, positive steps were being taken to improve the agriculture sector. Regarding the chairmen of market committees, he said that after the local bodies elections, the chairmen would be elected according to rules and regulations, saying currently the chairmen had not been elected. He said that steps had also been taken to provide maximum benefit to farmers by cutting the role of middleman by procuring crops from farmers and that legislation on it was also being made.

Courtesy : The News