On April 13, farmers have chosen to stage a national demonstration against corporate farming implemented under the Green Pakistan Initiative (GPI).
A decision adopted by a joint sitting of the Pakistan Kissan Rabita Committee, Anjuman Mazareen Punjab, Hari Jedojehad Committee, Crofter Foundation and others states that on April 13 (next Sunday) demonstrations and conventions will take place in different localities and at public sector farms.
The participants will insist on the abolition of corporate farming as well as the displacement of generations of peasant farmers from the fields they have been tending.
They will also demand all public sector agricultural lands distributed among the peasants, withdrawal of notices to tenants for payment of outstanding debts worth millions of rupees, and that wheat purchase price should be fixed at Rs4,000 per 40kg during the continuous harvesting season. They will also seek a ban on building of contentious canals in southern Punjab.
Aimed at improving agricultural development and addressing environmental issues by turning uncultivated land into high-yield farms using modern technology, advanced irrigation systems, premium seeds, artificial intelligence-driven monitoring, and better farming equipment, the GPI is the initiative of the federal government.
The shift to large-scale agribusinesses worries farmers and activists about small landowners being threatened, peasants on state lands being displaced, and restricted access to vital agricultural resources.
