HYDERABAD: Sindh Chamber of Agriculture (SCA) has urged the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) to allocate 50,000 cusec at Sukkur barrage during Kharif season. It has demanded arrest of those irrigation officials who were responsible for embezzlement of billions of rupees in Left Bank Outfall Drain (LBOD) funds, displacement of millions of people and damage to standing crops last season. They demanded an inquiry against these officials.

The meeting held here on Sunday was chaired by SCA president Miran Mohammad Shah. It thanked PPP leadership and Sindh government for notifying Rs2,000 support price for wheat crop this season. It expressed concern over availability of just 20,000 cusec at Sukkur barrage during current Kharif season and said cotton sowing had started in southern region of Sindh and a shortage of water would affect it.

It urged Irsa to issue indent for 50,000 cusec water at Sukkur barrage in the ongoing Kharif season. It noted that the federal government was spending huge amounts of money on import of cotton, and proposed that it should fix Rs5,000 as support price for cotton crop to encourage its cultivation.

It also expressed its concern over unavailability of cotton seed in market. It urged Sindh government to establish research centre for production of quality cotton seed.

The meeting pointed out that wheat crop was reaching the market and advised the Sindh government to open procurement centres and increase the procurement target from 1.4m tonnes to two million tonnes.

The SCA meeting called for issuance of notification to declare remaining district ‘rain-affected’ because crops of farmers in these districts were insured. The State Bank should waive off recovery of loans from farmers of rain-hit areas and ensure payment of insurance to farmers from banks.

The SCA said that the LBOD destroyed lands during the last monsoon leading to displacement of millions of people and destruction of crops on millions of acres. Crops were submerged under rainwater that caused huge losses to farmers, its said, and demanded that the government immediately rehabilitate the LBOD.

It said encroachments on natural waterways should be removed. It noted with concern that massive embezzlement had been committed in the LBOD funds. It called for arrest of all those officials who were responsible for it.

The SCA urged federal government to allow export of onion and tomato crops whose prices had considerably fallen in the local market.

The meeting was attended by Zahid Bhurgari, Nabi Bux Sathio, Mohammad Khan Sarejo, Asghar Noonari, Abdul Karim Talpur and others.

Published in Dawn, March 15th, 2021