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Yields of major crops declining
Yields of several major crops, including cash crops like cotton and sugarcane, declined during 2005-06 against production figures for last year, reducing total farm productivity by 2.5 per cent.
A senior official in the ministry of food, agriculture and livestock (Minfal) said last week that figures had been finalised in the National Accounts Committee meeting held recently. Estimates for major crops production showed that wheat production increased marginally, by 0.4 per cent to 21.7 million tons during the year 2005-06, against last year’s production of 21.6 million tons, while the area under cultivation declined by 0.65 per cent to 8,303,000 hectares from 8,358,000 hectares cultivated in the same period last year.
Cotton production declined by 12.95 per cent to 6.336 million tons against last year’s production of 7.279 million tons while the area under cultivation declined by three per cent to 3,096,000 hectares from 3,192,600 hectares.
During the same period, sugarcane production declined by 6.2 per cent to 44.312 million tons against 47.244 million tons last year. Rice was the only major cash crop whose production rose appreciably, by 9.4 per cent to 5.547 million tons in 2005-06 against 5.025 million tons during the same period last year. The area under cultivation increased by four per cent to 2,620,600 hectares against 2,519,500 hectares last year.
The warning, based on a recent survey of four canals offtaking from Kotri Barrage, is being taken seriously by experts, particularly following a substantial increase in the number of gastroenteritis cases in the interior of Sindh. “It is very alarming that the Keenjhar Lake, an important wetland supplying water to Karachi, is receiving highly polluted water from the Kalri Baghar Feeder and being turned into another Manchhar,” said a Sepa report submitted to the chief secretary.
In order to get the concentration of unwanted deposits downstream of Kotri reduced, scientists and other experts have been calling for release of some fresh water.
During his first visit to FIA headquarters, Mr Warraich said his ministry would help establish the unit. The minister added that FIA should prepare a database of criminals to control crimes and terrorism. “A comprehensive terrorist information system will be helpful in the war against terrorism,” he said.
He said the diseases in Sindh affected more families than in western countries and were far more powerful for gene mapping than typical pedigrees in the West.
Speaking at a seminar on “Human genome potential of Sindh” at the Multi-media Centre of the Institute of Information Technology, University of Sindh, last week, Dr Denton said research findings were quite disturbing. Dr Denton, who is working as the HEC’s foreign professor at Sindh University, said genes were responsible for predisposing individuals to various common diseases of adulthood — such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and schizophrenia.
He added that huge Sindhi pedigrees provided a unique and exceptionally valuable resource for gene mapping and could contribute greatly to our knowledge of human disease genes over the next few decades.
In this regard, he said, they were envisaging building at least one park in each of the 6,000 union councils in the country, besides sanctioning one scheme for providing clean water in every union council. — Agencies
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