HYDERABAD: The Sindh Abadgar Board and Sindh Chamber of Agriculture, two major growers’ bodies, have expressed concern over prevailing water shortage in the province despite availability of water flows in the system and demanded increase in supply of water to Sindh.

The board, which met here on Sunday with its president Mahmood Nawaz Shah in the chair, called for enhancement in indented water supplies for Sindh at the earliest in view of severe water shortage to help the province avoid losses as crops of mangoes, sugar cane and vegetables had already faced damage.

The meeting noted that with rotation programme in force water remained closed for two to three weeks. This rotation had been continuing since March and resulted in 30pc of sowing when compared with corresponding period of last year, it said.

It said that already cultivated crops such as mangoes, sugar cane and vegetables faced losses. The water released by the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) was still reaching the system but demand for water continued to rise, it said.

It feared this water might not be enough and would not clear backlog of last two months of severe shortage. Agricultural economy would decline further due to current severe shortage of water in the backdrop of losses to agriculture last year, it said, adding the water released from Chashma Barrage today would take another 15 days to get to irrigation system across Sindh.

The meeting said that whenever there was shortage in the system Sindh always suffered more and Punjab less and warned that water shortage would put the agriculture sector in jeopardy.

It said that cotton production was becoming difficult with each passing day as cotton acreage had been converted to paddy, sugar cane and maize. Of these crops, sugar cane and paddy were water guzzling crops while cotton consumed less water, provided raw material to ginning and oil extracting units and helped in saving billions of dollars required to import cotton for the textile sector, it said.

It urged the government to play an active role to revive cotton production by creating viability for cotton farmers. There was no tax on imported cotton but 18pc tax on locally produced cotton dented viability of cotton production, it said.

SCA demands ban on cotton imports

The Sindh Chamber of Agriculture, which met here on Sunday with its chief patron, Dr Nadeem Qamar, the chair, called upon the Sindh government to offer subsidy to wheat growers in Sindh besides other incentives.

It demanded the federal government ban cotton imports immediately and procure seed cotton from growers for Rs12,000 per 40kg.

The meeting expressed concern over present water shortage in the province despite availability of water flows in the system and accused irrigation department staff of selling water in lieu of a per hour bribe.

It urged Sindh irrigation minister to check the sale of water by irrigation staff and demanded that weekly rotation system should be restored.

The meeting observed that when wheat support price of Rs4000 was announced last year its cost of production was less but this year no support price was fixed by the government because the cost of inputs had doubled.

It said that market price for wheat crop was just Rs2200 per 40kg which was simply disappointing for farmers.

It urged Sindh chief minister to meet all stakeholders on the issue of wheat support price and fix it because if it had not been done then wheat cultivation would come to an end in the country and cause food insecurity.

The meeting noted that president All Pakistan Textile Mills Association had lately stated that cotton production was facing decline in the country. Today, cotton crop had almost vanished in Punjab and now hardly 4 million bales were produced countrywide with the result that 5m to 6m bales were being imported, it said.

It demanded the federal government ban import of cotton immediately and procure cotton from growers for Rs12,000 per 40kg.

The meeting demanded heat resistant varieties of cotton be imported from China and distributed among cotton producers. The Sindh government should offer subsidy to wheat growers on tractors and other inputs, it said.

The chamber noted with concern that not a single penny had been spent on the rehabilitation of Left Bank Outfall Drain system and demanded probe into utilisation of funds for LBDO.

Published in Dawn, May 5th, 2025