LAHORE, Sept 9: Acting governor Afzal Sahi on Tuesday declared rightful the Aiwan-i-Zaraat Punjab demands for the provision of cheap unadulterated agriculture inputs, early completion of remodelling of canals and reduction in agri loans’ markup.

He made the declaration during a meeting with an 11-member delegation of the Aiwan-i-Zaraat which called on him under its president, Mohammed Azam Cheema, at the Governor’s House.

The governor said the government had decided to remodel the irrigation system to utilize its share of 37 per cent of the Chenab water instead of throwing it into the sea. He said the irrigation system in the province was the biggest in the world and was a lifeline for the national economy. The prosperity of farmers also depended on maintenance of the system, he said.

Mr Sahi said work on remodelling of 120 distributaries of the Lower Chenab Canal System, 220-km portion of the Lower Bari-Doab Canal System and 16-km part of the Sharqi Sadqia Canal had been started.

Under the first phase of the Rs30 billion project of repairing 13 barrages, Khanki Barrage would be reconstructed and the gates of other barrages motorized besides repairing the hydraulic jumps of Jinnah and Taunsa barrages, he said.

Azam Cheema demanded redetermination of the support price of different crops in view of the increase in the prices of their inputs.