Farmers Associates Pakistan (FAP) demanding withdrawal of General Sales Tax (GST) from all agriculture inputs including tractors and agriculture implements has urged the government to convene an immediate meeting of the farmers' bodies to discuss various anomalies and the problems faced by the farmers.
The demand was raised at a FAP special meeting here on Friday to discuss imposition of GST. The FAP directors attended the meeting, which was presided over by FAP President Dr Tariq Bucha. The meeting observed since assuming power, the present government despite tall promises has not been able to devise or implement any policy, which could have revived the fragile economy. All organisations like PIA, Pakistan Railways, Pakistan Steel, electricity and the gas industry are in shambles with no chance or visible effort for revival or improvement.
There was only one ray of hope that the agriculture sector as before will perform better in the wake of majority of the parliamentarians belonging to it. But on the contrary in April 2011 by an ordinance followed by the budget 2011-12 a serious blow to the agriculture sector was hurled by the imposition of GST on agriculture inputs including tractors.
The meeting decided to appeal to the government to reconsider this very detrimental decision of the imposition of GST, which will not only kill the farmer and the related industry but will adversely affect revenue generation estimates as envisaged in the Federal budget, even from this source.
The farmer had not been able to overcome the sufferings caused by the government's taxation measures, it had to brave heavy rains of 2011 in Sindh and Southern Punjab besides already devastated by floods in 2010, which has caused a final catastrophic dent in their and the country's economy.
The government should realise that mechanisation is the most essential component for enhancing productivity in modern agriculture, while this step of increase in tractor and agriculture implements will force them to revert to age old methods of ploughing by bullocks because of unaffordable prices of tractors, high price of Diesel and lubricants will leave him with no other option, thereby seriously undermining their productivity.
The meeting urged the government to withdraw GST from all agriculture inputs including tractors and agriculture implements to help the sector revive and contribute positively to the economy of Pakistan.
Call an immediate meeting of the farmers' bodies to discuss various anomalies and the problems faced by the farmers. In view of the heavy losses of the farmers in Sindh and Southern Punjab because of heavy and unprecedented rains special incentives should be announced to rehabilitate them by analysing and working out their needs, the FAP also demanded.
Besides this FAP also demanded that the government should immediately direct Zarai Taraqyati Bank Ltd to release the loan for tractors and farm machinery like before to facilitate the already cash resource starved farmers. Farmers Associates Pakistan requested for an immediate appointment with the President/Prime Minister in person to apprise them problems and predicaments of the farmers, the meeting concluded.