Thatta (Report) – A meeting was held in the Durbar Hall of the Deputy Commissioner’s Office under the chairmanship of Assistant Commissioner Thatta, Shakir Faheem, with farmers and rice mill owners to discuss grievances regarding low paddy rates.
During the meeting, farmers’ representatives, including Haji Manwar Hilayo, Shahnawaz Brohi, Hameer Sarki, Haji Hassan Jakro, and others, raised concerns that rice mill owners were offering very low rates for paddy and making excessive deductions under the pretext of barda (weight) and moisture, causing significant losses to the farmers. They pointed out that neighboring districts like Sujawal and Tando Muhammad Khan offer higher rates, while Thatta farmers are being paid less. They also highlighted that some mills had installed faulty moisture-checking machines, which further reduced the effective price of their paddy.
On the other hand, leaders of rice mill owners, including Haji Khair Muhammad Brohi, explained that the global market prices for rice were currently low, and farmers’ paddy often has high moisture content that requires re-drying at the mill, resulting in losses for the mills. Consequently, export buyers offer lower prices for such paddy.
Assistant Commissioner Shakir Faheem expressed that farmers’ losses could not be tolerated and called the situation an injustice after a full year of labor. He instructed that information about rates and deductions from neighboring districts be collected and that the mills be visited to determine fair paddy prices.
Also present at the meeting was Mukhtiar Officer Thatta, Iqtidar Rasool Bharani.
