LAHORE: The Pakistan Kissan Ittehad, which organised a sit-in of farmers at Faisal Chowk on Tuesday and Wednesday, warned the government of province-wise road blocl(ades at tehsil level after 10th of Muharram in case their demands are not met.

A meeting of farmers` delegation with the Punjab chief minister could not be held on Thursday apparently due to the CM`s engagements and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf`s power show on Friday (today).

Dozens of farmers, protesting for the last two days against policies of the federal and provincial governments and demanding acceptance of their demands, wound up their protest late on Wednesday after a `successful` meeting with the members of the provincial cabinet committee.

The meeting between two sides, which took place at 90 Shahra-i-Quaidi-Azam, concluded with an understanding that the provincial government would ensure uniform rate of power tariff of Rs5.35 per unit round-theclock for tubewells rather than Rs5.35 for day and Rs10.35 for night.

Pakistan Kissan Ittehad PresidentKhalid Mahmood Khokhar told Dawn on Thursday that a delegation led by provincial president Rizwan Iqbal met Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah, agriculture minister Dr Farrukh Javed and the secretary agriculture and submitted its demands.

He said the government side informed the delegation that the demand of power tariff had been taken up by the chief minister with the federal government while the PKI delegation could take up the rest of the demands at a meeting with the chief minister.

Mr Khokhar said before the start of the meeting police released all the farmers. He said a meeting with the chief minister was being scheduled for Oct 1 because of PTI`s Raiwind march today (Friday) and the CM`s other engagements.

He said it had been decided in the meeting of PKPs executive committee that farmers across the province would launch street show by blocking rural roads and main arteries with tractor-trolleys and cattle in all tehsils and districts.

He said the same day a group of about 1,000 farmers led by the PKI office-bearers would also hold a protest gathering in front of parliament.

Punjab Agriculture Minister Dr Farrukh Javed says the major problemthe farmers are facing is non-implementation of subsidised power tariff by power distribution companies.

He said the Pakistan Kissan Ittehad delegation was assured that the matter would be taken up with the Ministry of Water and Power after 10th of Muharram.

Mr Javed further said the ministry had also begun efforts to bring down GST on subsidised fertilizers from 5pc to zero and remove ambiguity in agriculture income tax.

The minister said the department had also planned to stop implementation of notification No 922 in Toba Tek Singh under which state land up to 12.5 acre leased to farmers having less than four acre had to be withdrawn for re-leasing.

The farmers had been promised that they would be given ownership rights for five years. A meeting with the Board of Revenue is likely to be held here on Friday.

He said the government had intervened and promised to expedite payments to sugarcane growers from mills.

He said a farmers` delegation would see the chief minister in a couple of days and was likely to get some relief.

To stop bilateral agriculture trade with India required consent of both Punjab and Sindh governments, he said.