Farmers’ rights organisation demanded an end of feudal system, and land reforms against unjust distribution of water and agricultural lands, and stressed need for formulation of effective policy to tackle issues relating to food-insecurity in the country.
This was stated by Wali Haider, General Secretary Pakistan Mazdoor Kissan Tehreek (PMKT) while speaking at media sensitisation workshop on land reforms, organised in collaboration with the Roots for Equity at Peshawar Press Club on Friday. Other speakers include PMKT social organiser Asif Khan and Malik Rab Nawaz, Gohar and Osama from Roots for Equity. A large number of media persons from print and electronic media organisations participated in the awareness session.
PMKT representative said the feudal class alongside with capitalists is exploiting the workers and peasants with a greater speed. He demanded the control of local communities over their natural resources and an end of exploitation of natural resources by the multinational companies.
Calling for proper legislation for equal distribution of farmlands, the participants stressed the need for launching awareness initiatives for getting rid of the feudal system. They further stressed giving maximum autonomy in decision making for sowing various seeds and crops.
Wali Haider said the issue of growing food insecurity could only be tackled by ensuring equal distribution of agricultural lands among small growers through effective land reforms in the country. According to survey report of UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), he said approximately one billion people are facing hunger and malnutrition, while the official figure stated that 50 percent people are living below poverty line in the country, he maintained.
Stressing the need for equal distribution of agricultural lands among farmers, he said successive governments had failed to introduce an efficient land-reform policy, adding that farmers were being deprived of their rights in absence of a tangible policy. “We need to free the country from the clutches of feudal class, which can only be made possible through an organised movement,” he maintained.
Opposing the enactment of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Seeds Act 2014, he termed the legislation against the right of small growers, through which multinational companies could gain monopoly and bound the farmers to purchase seed from only registered companies. Regarding reports imposition of agriculture-tax and seed-tax by KP government in coming fiscal budget, he said both federal and provincial government prime obligation to protect the right of small growers, and would make consultation before formulation of any policies in the agriculture sector. “A sustainable agriculture policy should be formulated and efforts should be made for capacity-building of small and poor farmers. They should be equipped with modern know-how and harvesting tools,” the participants stressed.