The Sindh irrigation department recently advised growers to cultivate short-duration crops in the brackish water zone. But growers based in the sweet water zone can cultivate wheat in the upcoming Rabi season, according to the advisory issued against the backdrop of uncertain water supplies.

This is not unusual. Irrigation water supplies during summer and winter crop seasons usually remain erratic in Sindh. This makes things difficult for farmers cultivating major crops ie wheat, rice, sugar cane and cotton. It calls for crop diversification by farmers who, by and large, stick to major cash crops.

Sindh doesn’t get its share of water allocated under the Water Apportionment Accord 1991 in early Kharif. Its groundwater resource remains marginally or highly saline. The areas located close to the Indus or on its left bank have marginally saline water zones. According to experts, a conjunctive use of marginally saline water with canals’ freshwater could be permitted for cultivation.

Water-intensive crops like sugar cane have already become a perennial problem for farmers because of the price-setting mechanism and non-payment of the official rates by powerful sugar millers. Paddy remains the second high-delta crop as farmers complain about the payment of inadequate rates by rice millers.

This crop is also cultivated in areas fed by the left-bank canals of Sukkur Barrage where its sowing is prohibited under the law.

Smaller crops like maize grow in areas where groundwater is marginally saline. These crops can be cultivated easily in spite of seasonal variations in water flows. But they account for negligible acreages, thanks to the farmers’ reliance on major crops

Its cultivation is, however, permitted in the left-bank areas of Kotri Barrage and the right-bank areas of Sukkur and Guddu barrages.

Increasing water shortages that are becoming frequent can be attributed to climate change, poor storage capacity, losses at the field level, wastage, inequitable distribution and political influence that denies water supplies to tail-end farmers whose lands are fed by perennial canals like Nara and Rohri.

Besides, farmers are also not inclined to use efficient irrigation systems involving drips, pivots and sprinklers that are the norm in developed countries.

Small and medium-sized farmers can opt for smaller, short-duration crops in addition to major ones during winter and Kharif seasons. But this requires serious attention from the government, which should encourage growers to go for drought-resistant and short-duration crops.

This can be done under the agriculture policy that the Sindh government approved in April. The provincial agriculture research department has not been able to produce varieties of seeds for crops like cotton that farmers may otherwise opt for.

“Farmers had shown interest in Bt cotton as it requires less water and is a vital crop in terms of earning foreign exchange. Growers promoted its cultivation in the left-bank areas of Kotri Barrage, which was once known for paddy cultivation,” says Mahmood Nawaz Shah, a progressive cotton producer.

But cotton sowing didn’t remain sustainable even though Sindh produced over 4.2 million bales around nine years back, he adds. Its seed was brought by growers from a foreign country. Now it has lost its vigour and become susceptible to pests. The crop is hit by lower per-acre productivity issues for want of quality seeds. But the research department has not been able to address this problem, he contends. So growers have switched back to paddy cultivation in the command area of Kotri Barrage.

Sindh is also losing its otherwise rich cotton zone in Ghotki district to sugar cane production, he says. “Now Ghotki is home to at least five sugar mills,” he adds.

In addition to cotton, sunflower is also facing similar issues. At the time of 2010 super floods, sunflower looked like a viable option for farmers in the winter season. But its area under cultivation has dropped to 60,000 hectares from 260,000 hectares.

It is a drought-resistant and short-duration crop. But its declining yields discouraged growers as they have almost given up its cultivation. Being a major oilseed crop, sunflower’s cultivation is vital to meet the demand for edible oil whose import constituted $1.9 billion out of the total food import bill of $6.13bn in 2016-17, according to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).

Smaller crops, like maize, bajra and gram, can be productive for their short duration and grown in those areas where groundwater is marginally saline. These crops can be cultivated despite seasonal variations in water flows. But they only account for negligible acreages, thanks to the farmers’ reliance on major crops.

Another factor that discourages growers from opting for alternative crops is the problem with value chain, marketing and production technology. As far as major crops are concerned, growers are able to at least sell them one way or another. When growers opt for smaller crops, they find it hard to market them.

Sindh Chamber of Agriculture Vice President Nabi Bux Sathio points out that agriculture land in Sindh is already divided in zones suitable for particular crops. He says growers could use precious water resource carelessly in the past. But every drop of water should be used efficiently now, he adds.

He believes that farmers need to switch over to less water-consuming crops as they are getting smaller per-acre yields despite excessive use of water.

Published in Dawn, The Business and Finance Weekly, October 15th, 2018