SIALKOT: A hand-operated paddy planting machine, manufactured by the Daska-based agriculture industrialists, is gaining popularity among farmers for its easy handling, less labour and good results.

Muhammad Iqbal Mughal, patron-in-chief of the Daska Agriculture Instruments Manufacturers Association, told reporters on Friday the machines helped farmers plant saplings in dry and unploughed fields without any effort. Several machines were exported to India as well.

Mr Mughal said Daska farm industries had enough potential to export the implements worldwide if the government supported them.

He said the paddy sowing machine had been examined by the Kala Shah Kaku Agriculture Research Centre, the Pakistan Agriculture Research Council and the Agriculture University of Faisalabad and the three institutions had praised the effort. He said the machine also helped the farmers reduce their per acre sowing expenditures and increased the per acre yield. The last crop had proved the results, he said.

Manufacturers demanded subsidy on agriculture implements to flourish the industry as well as yields.

They also urged the government to scrap the sales tax on the farm machinery.

Mr Mughal urged the Punjab government to train small farmers on using modern agri tools and methods for enhancing their per acre yield. There are 90 manufacturing units in Daska, of them 58 are producing complete agri machinery while the remaining parts of various machines or some tools such as wheat reapers, wheat threshers, multipurpose reaper machines, land laser levelers, fodder cutters and wheat sowing machines.

Also, Daska Engineering and Industrial Association’s Muhammad Abid Mughal and Muhammad Arif Mughal demanded the government provide them soft loans to upgrade their workplaces.

KILLED: A woman, Ishrat Bibi, 28, was killed allegedly by her husband and in-laws on Friday by pouring acid into her throat over a domestic dispute in the Mianapura locality.

Ishrat and Ali Hassan were married six years back and had two children.

Hajipura police shifted the body to the Allama Iqbal Memorial Teaching Hospital for autopsy.

The police are looking into the matter.

Published in Dawn, March 18th, 2017