Dairy Farmers Walked Out of the National Dairy Conference, Staged Protest
Eleven representatives of dairy farmers walked out of the National Dairy Conference organized by the Planning Commission. The farmers boycotted the event, saying they were not given enough time to speak.
The dairy farmer leaders said the organizers did not allow full and fair time to hear farmers’ issues, while investors were given priority. They called this an attempt to silence farmers and ignore real ground problems.
Those who walked out included Shakir Umar Gujjar, Central President of the Dairy and Cattle Farmers Association Pakistan; Islam Butt, President DCFA Corporate Division; Dr. Shahzad Naveed Jadoon; Muzaffar Hashmi, President Dairy Retailers; Shehbaz Rasool Waraich, Central Organizer and General Secretary; Shahid Imran Gondal; Rana Sufyan, Vice President; Rana Kashif; and Rana Shakeel. All jointly decided to leave the conference.
Dairy and Cattle Farmers Association Pakistan – DCFA Pakistan
The conference was chaired by Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal. Farmer leaders said that if real stakeholders, dairy farmers, are not seriously included in dairy and livestock policy making, such conferences remain only paper exercises with no link to ground reality. They stressed that farmer inclusion is essential for successful national policy.
The dairy farmer leadership demanded that in future national policy forums, farmers must be given full, respectful, and meaningful representation. Otherwise, they warned, a nationwide protest plan will be launched.
