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HYDERABAD, Nov 21: The Sindh Abadgar Board has appealed to Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali to take notice of the acute shortage of fertilizers, specially Nitrophos, in Sindh which is a crucial input for two major Rabi crops.
In an urgent communication addressed to Prime Minister Jamali on Friday, the SAB president, Abdul Majeed Nizamani, has said that the sowing of Rabi crops was in full swing, which included two main crops, wheat and oil seeds.
He pointed out that Nitrophos is a crucial input for these crops as it provides a balance of nitrogen and phosphorous, which suits the soil of Sindh.
He said it was most unfortunate that at this crucial juncture, not only the prices of Nitrophos have been increased but it is also not available.
He said the National Fertilizer Marketing Limited is unable to supply Nitrophos to Sindh.
Mr Nizamani said that it was a well-known fact that the sowing season in Sindh started earlier in comparison to the other provinces.
He deplored that the dealers and middlemen were fleecing the farmers by raising the price of crucial inputs to an exorbitant level.
He reminded the prime minister that the farmers of Sindh were already facing a financial crunch due to non-payment of their outstanding dues by the sugar mills and the inordinate delay in the harvesting of sugarcane crop.
He said the only way to provide some relief to the farmers is to ensure the supply of fertilizers to Sindh province.
He said the SAB had already informed the relevant ministry well before the Rabi season that the quota of fertilizer fixed for the provinces by the government should be strictly adhered to.
He has appealed to the prime minister to personally intervene in the matter.
FISHERMEN’S DAY: The Sindh Taraqqi Passand Mallah Tanzeem celebrated the World Fishermen’s Day on the banks of the River Indus, Hussainabad, on Thursday.
A large number of children and fishermen, led by the Tanzeem’s chairman, Mohammad Arib Mallah, threw flower petals in the river and offered collective prayers for availability of water.
The fishermen and their children also threw sweet bread in the river.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr Arib said that the government was not paying any attention to the release of water downstream Kotri.
He said the livelihood of tens of thousands of fishermen depended on Kotri downstream water and the government was also deriving a handsome income.
He said that since 1991 the lives of fishermen had become miserable due to acute shortage of water, and added that sea erosion had also wreaked havoc in the coastal area where the majority of fishermen lived.
He claimed that in Thatta district alone sea water had swallowed up an area of 56 miles.
He held the SIDA and irrigation department responsible for huge losses in Badin and Thatta districts during the heavy rains earlier this year.
He demanded that the contract system in Badin district for catching fish should be abolished forthwith and licenses should be issued to fishermen throughout Sindh.
He further demanded that a complete ban should be imposed on prohibited nets such as Bolo, Gajjo, etc., and the representatives of the Sindh Taraqqi Passand Mallah Tanzeem should be included in the committee, which may be appointed to study the requirements of water downstream Kotri.
