KARACHI, Jan 10: Sindh government is setting up agriculture export zone, which would be first of its kind in entire region of South Asia, and a piece of land next to new Sebzi Mandi (new vegetable market) has been already acquired for this project.

This was stated by provincial minister for Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Social Welfare, Hasan Ali Chanhio while speaking in Bilmushafa programme of Radio Pakistan, Karachi on Thursday.

He said the provincial government had hired the services of a Spanish consultant for developing the project, which was going to be announced on 15th of this month.

Along with this zone, the Sindh government, he said, would also be setting up Export Crop Estates in all the districts of the province where only those crops would be cultivated, which were to be exported.

Responding to a question, Hasan Ali Chanhio said in principle the federal government has agreed to hand over one of the three idle terminal at Karachi airport for air-lifting of perishable goods but final decision had to be made.

He said Sindh province could excel in export of fruits and vegetables particularly mangoes, dates, guava, and, to achieve this goal, different management groups for each crop had been established.

Hasan Ali Chanhio said Pakistan is blessed with unlimited natural resources that could be used as ‘economic weapon’. “And the agriculture is the biggest weapon of this country.”

On changing market strategy from retail to institutional sales, he said, the country this year earned $17 million on export of mangoes compared to $7 million a year ago.

Despite acute shortage of irrigation water, the Sindh province had good agriculture production last year, particularly of sugarcane, cotton, wheat as well as rice.

But as the availability of irrigation water is declining year after year the minister said there was urgent need of conservation as well as change in cropping pattern to get maximum production of agriculture produce.

Since Sindh province cannot use its underground water, which is brackish for irrigation purposes, he said, the only way out left to face the challenge of water shortage is change in cropping pattern.

Consequently, Hasan Ali Chanhio said, the government has prepared a plan to cultivate cotton in the three districts of upper Sindh i.e. Jacobabad, Shikarpur and Larkana and in lower Sindh cultivation of sugar beet would be encouraged instead of paddy rice, which requires a lot of water.

Similarly, he said, growers would be encouraged to cultivate sugar beet instead of cane in the lower Sindh. He said that sugarcane requires 120 inches of water with a crop period of 18 months, whereas sugar beet needs 25 inches of water with only nine months maturing period.

He said the Sindh province is self sufficient in two crop i.e. sugar and rice, but has to make up for wheat and cotton.

However, in a couple of years, he said, Sindh would be producing between 3 to 4 million bales of cotton from the present production level of 2.2 million bales.

The minister said by shifting to cotton, less water will be consumed as the crop is basically of semi-drought climate and needs very little water.

Besides these measures, he said government would be taking up the job of lining water courses in order to minimise water wastage.