HYDERABAD, April 23: The federal minister for food and agriculture, Yar Mohammad Rind, has said the main problem confronting the Sindh agriculture sector is the shortage of water.

He expressed the hope the water problem would soon be resolved.

He was speaking as chief guest at an “Agriculture Conference”, organized by a newspaper in collaboration with the Sindh Agriculture University, Tando Jam, on Tuesday.

Mr Rind said the government was taking measures to provide relief to growers.

He said the mark-up on agricultural loans had been reduced from 14 per cent to 11 per cent and growers had been provided with a subsidy of 33 per cent in power tariff. The government was also considering reducing prices of fertilizers, especially urea, and withdraw general sales tax on DAP, the minister added.

Referring to the shortage of bulldozers, Mr Rind said China had provided loans for purchase of bulldozers which would be given to the provinces within a month.

He regretted that the agriculture sector contributed 25 per cent towards GDP but an insignificant amount was being spent on development of agriculture. This, he said, had badly affected the sector.

The federal minister said a project of constructing small dams would be launched which would help rehabilitate the Manchar Lake.

Most of the speakers, including Dr Bashir Ahmad Chandio, Secretary Agriculture Sindh, Aftab Memon, M. H. Panwar and Chaudhry Niaz, demanded implementation of the 1991 Water Accord.

They proposed the holding of a water conference at national level to resolve the problem of water.

Speaking at the conference, Sindh Minister Imtiaz Shaikh stressed the need for announcing an agricultural policy to evolve a strategy to meet the challenges of the WTO regime.

He proposed the establishment of an agriculture development board with adequate representation to growers and other stakeholders.

Former Sindh Agriculture Minister Hassan Ali Chanio said a marketing system should be introduced so that growers could get proper prices for their crops. In the absence of such a system, growers sustained losses to the tune of Rs7 to 10 billion in one year. Onion, chili, fruit, rice and other crops were being sold at less than the cost of their production, he added.

Sindh Chamber of Agriculture president Syed Qamaruzzaman Shah condemned the Thal canal construction and setting up of Sida, terming them illegal.