Fresh increase in the prices of petroleum products has put an additional burden of Rs 40 billion on the masses and Rs 16 billion on the agricultural sector. Agri Forum Pakistan Chairman, Muhammad Ibrahim Mughal stated this while talking to media, here on Thursday.
"It is unfortunate that burden of only Rs three billion is put on the elite in the shape of increase in petrol prices while a huge burden of Rs 37 billion is passed on to the poor by a massive increase in diesel prices," he added. Mughal was of the view that fresh increase in petroleum prices is like a bomb blast for the poor which has made life miserable and impossible for the masses hailing from all walks of life, especially for those attached with the agricultural sector.
"Our agriculture sector is using around four billion litres of diesel annually and fresh increase would definitely leave negative impact on the production of crops of Rabi season including wheat, gram, sun flower, vegetables, canola etc. It is feared that production of these crops might experience a reduction of 10 to 15 percent," he said.
Mughal further said that diesel price in India in Pak rupee is Rs 77 per litre while in Pakistan it is Rs 99 per litre. He said that if Pakistani nation spends nine billion litres of diesel annually then it is paying over Rs 200 billion more than the Indian nation.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Mutthida Kisan Mahaz (PMKM) President, Muhammad Ayub Khan Mayo severely criticised government for increasing the prices of petroleum products and said that it had made life miserable for the masses. He said that the government should act in the larger interest of the masses and the agricultural community instead of taking dictations from World Bank and the international monetary organisations. Kisan Board Pakistan (KBP) Deputy Secretary General, Akhtar Farooq, also, termed the fresh increase in the petroleum products as a result of dictates by the IMF and World Bank to the Pakistani rulers.