HYDERABAD, Oct 30: Sindh Abadgar Board president Abdul Majeed Nizamani has welcomed the decision of the federal government to enhance the production target of wheat from 21.5 million tons to 22 million tons but criticized the reduction in Sindh’s target from 2.5 million to 2.4 million tons.

In a recent statement issued here, he pointed out that in 2000, Sindh had produced 3.5 million tons but within six years, its target had been reduced by 25 per cent which was regrettable. He said despite the fact that the population growth in Sindh stood at 5 per cent which was more than any other part of the world. He, however, hastened to add that the population growth was mainly because of migration.

He called upon the government to make necessary arrangements and fix the wheat production target for Sindh at 3.2 million tons. He termed shortage of water in this regard a lame excuse and demanded that 4,800 tubewells which had been approved in 1998 should be installed by Dec 15.

Criticizing what he called unfriendly agriculture policies of the government and free import of agricultural commodities, Mr Nizamani said onion was available in Pakistan in abundance but the government was importing the commodity from Afghanistan. He said the import of onion for an agricultural country like Pakistan was shameful. He demanded that Sindh’s onion should be exported to India and added that to meet the huge trade deficit, the import of agricultural commodities be stopped forthwith.