- CM Maryam Nawaz vows fair prices, says farmers won’t be left to middlemen as Punjab records 25pc rise in Potato output with historic 12m metric tonnes crop
- Says government moves to prevent wastage of bumper harvest through exports by opening new global agri markets
LAHORE: Punjab is on the verge of emerging as an exporter of potatoes to the international market as agricultural reforms begin to deliver tangible results, with a bumper crop bringing much-needed relief to farmers across the province.
Potato production has recorded a 25 per cent increase compared to last year, while a historic output of 12 million metric tonnes has shattered all previous records in Punjab. In light of the surplus harvest, the Punjab government is actively pursuing practical measures for agricultural cooperation with Kazakhstan as a first step towards opening global markets.
CM Maryam Nawaz has sought permission from the Prime Minister of Pakistan to allow the export of potatoes in order to prevent wastage of the record crop. Significant progress on the export front is expected on Wednesday during engagements between a high-level Kazakh delegation, currently visiting Pakistan, and the Punjab government.
The Punjab government remains in close coordination with the federal government to ensure effective export mechanisms. Efforts are under way to explore and access new international markets to stabilise prices and guarantee fair returns for farmers.
The chief minister said Kazakhstan would serve as the starting point, adding that access to additional global agricultural markets would follow. She stressed that the record potato harvest would not be sold at throwaway prices and that farmers would not be left at the mercy of middlemen or volatile market forces.
She added that the Punjab government, in coordination with the federal government, was taking concrete steps to secure better returns for growers, emphasising that the bumper crop would translate into prosperity rather than hardship for farmers.
CM Pays Tribute to Kashmiri Martyrs on Kashmir Solidarity Day
Meanwhile, in her message on Kashmir Solidarity Day, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz said that love for Kashmir runs like blood through the heart of every Pakistani. She paid glowing tribute to the Kashmiri martyrs who sacrificed their lives to keep the struggle for the right to self-determination alive.
She said the Kashmiri people, who have courageously resisted Indian oppression for more than seven decades, deserve salute and respect, adding that Indian brutality has turned the once heaven-like valley into a prison.
Calling upon the international community, the chief minister urged the United Nations and other global institutions to fulfil their lawful responsibilities in the face of ongoing human rights violations in Indian-occupied Kashmir.
She said lasting peace in the region would remain a distant dream without a permanent resolution of the Kashmir dispute and reiterated that the sacrifices of the oppressed Kashmiri people would not go in vain.
Maryam Nawaz said Pakistan would continue to extend diplomatic, political and moral support to the Kashmiri people and reaffirmed that the country would keep raising its voice in their favour at every international forum.
Expressing optimism, she said that, God willing, the people of Kashmir would soon witness the dawn of freedom.
