HYDERABAD, Dec 6: The indifferent attitude of the government towards agriculture sector and its flawed policies has destroyed the rural economy, said Sindh Abadgar Board (SAB).

The Board held a meeting on Saturday which was presided over by its chief Abdul Majeed Nizamani. The meeting expressing apprehensions over the prevailing situation felt that lawlessness, smuggling and profiteering had compounded the problems and may push the country towards wheat crisis in near future.

Sindh growers attending the meeting said that they were being punished for producing bumper wheat crop. The meeting asked Passco to stop putting up lame excuses over rice procurement rather prove itself to be true representative of the federation.

Growers condemned Passco for purchasing 55 per cent rice from Punjab, while ignoring Sindh and asked Passco to invest at least Rs3 billion by purchasing one million tons of rice and make arrangements to export the same by March next which would generate huge profit. They feared that in case of refusal they would be economically destroyed.

The meeting reminded Passco to honur its promise of setting up 150 procurement centres in the province as only 12 centres had been established in lower Sindh where 200 rice mills were located, as an early crop was already brought to the market.

They were of the opinion that the crisis could only be averted if export subsidy was provided which in turn would give rise to competition among exporters, traders and millers.

The meeting in regard to sugarcane reminded that SAB had always furnished useful proposals and correct statistics of crop and the obduracy of PSMA to the government.

The Board had earlier warned the government of a looming sugar crisis and asked it to take immediate action which later on proved correct, the meeting contended.

This year around, it observed, sugar production will drop to 2.82 million tons from 4.7 million tons and the government would be forced to import 1.68 million tons at the cost of $525 million to meet the requirements.

Expressing apprehensions over aggravating situation in the next season and how to avert it, the Board demanded payment of outstanding arrears of Rs1.1 billion to growers immediately and also rejected millers’ excuse of fulfilling the obligation when their pockets allowed. They termed the attitude of millers dangerous for the economy.

Concerning “Grow More Wheat” campaign, the meeting claimed the growers of cooperating with the Sindh government against heavy odds including the non-availability of water and skyrocketing prices of inputs.

It observed that the growers were not hopeful of its success because of the government failure of containing sugarcane and rice crises.

It demanded of the government to resolve sugarcane and rice problems for enabling growers meet wheat production cost and also make sure timely payments were made to them.

It regretted the government’s failure for taking into consideration inordinate increase in the prices of diesel, fertilisers, pesticides and hybrid seeds.

The meeting felt annoyed for not passing on the benefit, of decrease in international oil prices and withdrawal of the GST on urea fertiliser, on to the growers.