
As part of the protest, rallies and conventions will be organized in various towns and at public-sector farms across the country.
Pakistan to hold a nationwide protest against corporate farming, Latst News: Farmers in Pakistan have announced a nationwide protest on April 13 against corporate farming, according to a report by ANI, which cited news published in Dawn, a leading English-language newspaper in Pakistan.
Corporate farming is being implemented under the Green Pakistan Initiative (GPI), a state-led program aimed at transforming agriculture.
As part of the protest, rallies and conventions will be organized in various towns and at public-sector farms across the country on the same day.
The decision to hold the protest was made during a joint meeting of multiple farmer organizations, including the Pakistan Kissan Rabita Committee, Anjuman Mazareen Punjab, Hari Jedojehad Committee, Crofter Foundation, and others. The groups are demanding an end to corporate farming and the immediate halt to the eviction of peasants from lands they have cultivated for generations.
Protesters are also calling for a ban on the construction of controversial canals in southern Punjab, and for the distribution of all public-sector agricultural land among local peasants.
Many tenant farmers have reportedly received notices demanding repayment of debts amounting to millions of rupees. Protesters are urging the government to cancel or withdraw these notices.
Additionally, they are demanding that the government fix or guarantee a fair price for wheat — specifically, 4,000 Pakistani rupees per 40 kilograms — to ensure a sustainable income for farmers.
Farmers and rights activists have expressed concern that the shift towards large-scale corporate farming may adversely impact small landholders. They warned that the transition could lead to the displacement of peasants from state-owned agricultural lands and restrict their access to essential farming resources.
According to protestors, the move threatens the livelihoods of communities that have cultivated these lands for generations, and could further deepen the divide in rural agricultural ownership.
The Green Pakistan Initiative (GPI) is a 2023 program by the Government of Pakistan and the Pakistan Army to boost agriculture by turning barren land into fertile farmland. It aims to improve food security, promote sustainable farming, support small farmers with training and credit, and use modern tech like AI and efficient irrigation. While praised for modernization efforts, it has also faced criticism over potential harm to small farmers and land rights.
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