LARKANA, Aug 3: The Sindh Abagdar Board has said that due to the late and insufficient supply of water, paddy sowing in upper and lower Sindh had decreased to 40 per cent and 65 per cent, respectively.

It demanded that the government should fix the support price of paddy IRRI-6 not less that Rs360 per 40 kilograms.

In a letter sent to the prime minister and federal ministers for agriculture and water and power on Wednesday, Gada Hussain Mahisar, central vice-president of the association, termed the Rs306 per 40kg support price of paddy IRRI-6 unjustified.

He said prices of agricultural inputs had risen by 15 to 20 per cent as compared to last year.

Mr Mahisar said that due to rise in gas tariff, prices of chemical fertilisers had increased from Rs500 to Rs650 per metric ton.

He said that in crop year 2005-06, the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock, on demands of farmers, had not only released funds but also purchased paddy at Rs300 per 40kg.

He said it was surprising that the ministry had increased the paddy price only by two per cent this year. He demanded that the government should increase the support price of paddy by at least 20 per cent.—BoC