ISLAMABAD: Farmers in Pakistan have decided to start a nationwide protest on April 13 against corporate farming, which is being implemented under the Green Pakistan Initiative (GPI), Dawn reported.
Rallies and conventions will be carried out in various towns and at public-sector farms on April 13. The decision was taken by a joint sitting of the Pakistan Kissan Rabita Committee, Anjuman Mazareen Punjab, Hari Jedojehad Committee, Crofter Foundation, and others.
Through the protest, the participants will call for an end to corporate farming and the eviction of peasants from the lands they have been cultivating for generations, as per the Dawn report.
The participants will also demand a ban on the construction of controversial canals in southern Punjab, the distribution of all public sector agricultural lands among the peasants, the withdrawal of notices to tenants for payment of outstanding dues worth millions of rupees, and the fixation of the wheat purchase price at Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 4,000 per 40 kg during the ongoing harvesting season.
The GPI is the federal government’s initiative aimed to enhance agricultural development and tackle environmental issues by transforming uncultivated land into high-yield farms using modern technology, advanced irrigation systems, high-quality seeds, AI-driven monitoring, and better farming equipment, Dawn reported.
Farmers and activists expressed fear that the transition to large-scale agribusinesses may pose a threat to small landowners, displace peasants of state lands and limit their access to crucial agricultural resources.