HYDERABAD, Oct 4: The Sindh Abadgar Board has protested against the handing over of the Pakistan Rice Board to the Rice Export Association, saying this is great injustice to rice growers and millers of Sindh.
The working committee of the board at a meeting held here on Saturday under the chairmanship of Abdul Majeed Nizamani observed that rice growers and millers were the main partners in the production of quality rice which earned huge foreign exchange for the country.
The meeting claimed rice was at number two in respect of foreign exchange earnings after cotton. It expressed surprise that the export of rice had been handed over to the Rice Export Association which has had a very bad record in the past.
It said the only interest of the association was to purchase the finished rice on its own terms and then export it.
The meeting reminded the government that 75 per cent of coarse variety of rice in the country was produced by Sindh.
It said the production of rice had already been greatly reduced due to acute shortage of water, land revenue, inordinate increase in the prices of fertilizers and pesticides, agriculture tax, corruption and lawlessness.
The meeting noted the performance of the association could be gauged from the fact that the price of Pakistani rice in the international market was much above the rate of other rice producing countries but its rate within the country was insignificant.
It demanded that in order to save the agriculture sector, Pakistan Rice Board (PRB) should be revived and with the active cooperation of the government it should be made more effective.
The board pointed out that in absence of any cotton policy, the ginners were fleecing cotton growers by deducting one-kilogramme weight per 40kgs and also charging Rs7 per 40kgs in the name of tax. The meeting alleged that in this way cotton growers were suffering a loss of Rs32 per 40kgs.
It demanded of the government to take notice of excesses of ginners and restore justice to growers. The meeting expressed concern over the stubborn attitude of the sugar mill owners some of whom had refused to pay Rs43 per 40kgs sugar cane price and quality premium to growers in flagrant violation of the Sindh government notification of Dec 24, 2002.
It demanded of the government to ensure that the outstanding dues of growers were paid by the mill owners without any delay. It demanded that sugar mills should be directed to start the crushing from Oct 15 and warned, if this was not done, the agriculture sector of the province would be destroyed.
The board reminded the government that in case of the late start of crushing season wheat crop could not be cultivated which will create food crisis in the country.
It expressed concern over the destruction of 45,000 acres of agricultural land in Deh Khenjo, Mangrio, Pohra, Sitaro and Gujjar in Ghotki district due to the poisonous water from Punjab.
It said a huge population of these areas was also suffering from various stomach diseases due to this poisonous water. It demanded the effluent from Punjab should be stopped immediately.
The meeting demanded import of all agricultural items should be banned to save the agriculture sector from total destruction.
NIPA SEMINAR: President Sindh Abadgar Board Abdul Majeed Nizamani has taken strong exception to the nomination of Dr Iqbal Ali to attend the NIPA seminar on the water management scheduled to be held at Lahore on Oct 6.
In a communication addressed to the president and the prime minister and other authorities concerned, Mr Nizamani said, Dr Iqbal was a retired professor living in Karachi and he had no concern with the grower community of Sindh.
He demanded representatives of the SAB and the Sindh Chamber of Agriculture should be invited to the seminar.
