HYDERABAD, Oct 20: Sindh Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim has directed the agriculture department to ensure presence of field assistants and agriculture officers in fields so that advisory services to farmers are provided.

According to a press release of the directorate of the agriculture information issued here on Thursday, the chief minister directed that disciplinary action including removal from service be taken against the staff which was found absent from field and not performing duties satisfactorily.

The district coordination officers have also been advised to set up a proper monitoring system for ensuring field duties of the staff and for taking action against the defaulting staff.

These directives have been issued in view of frequent complaints made by farmers about absence of effective extension service in the field.

In a separate directive, the secretary agriculture has instructed that apart from performing field duties, the field assistants and agriculture officers should attend to technical problems of and provide guidance to farmers at the offices of union councils on every Tuesday and Thursday.

The secretary established a complaint cell in this respect in the office of the director of the planning and monitoring cell, Block-53, Pak Secretariat Karachi.

SAU: Sindh Agriculture University vice-chancellor Prof (Dr) Bashir Ahmed Shaikh has said that the levelling of land was very necessary for the optimum use of irrigation water.