HYDERABAD, Sept 10: The Sindh Chamber of Agriculture has demanded that the entire Sindh, especially 12 lower districts of the province, be declared calamity-hit.

A meeting of the chamber, presided over by Syed Qamaruzzaman Shah, held here on Sunday discussed the situation arising out of recent rains.

It demanded an agricultural package for the whole province without an delay and exemption for the growers from the payment of all bank loans and other taxes. The meeting demanded more loans for cultivating the Rabi crops.

The meeting observed that recent rains had wreaked havoc in Sanghar, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Umerkot, Mithi, Tando Mohammad Khan, Badin, Thatta, Jamshoro, Tando Allahyar, Matiari and Nawabshah districts.

The meeting noted that standing crops of cotton, rice, sugarcane, Tomatoes, onion, chilly and other vegetables worth billions of rupees had been destroyed.

The meeting called upon Federal Minister for Water and Power Liaquat Ali Jatoi to exempt the growers from payment of water bills and to replace transformers and power lines at the government expense.