HYDERABAD, Jan 1: Farmers have expressed concern over lack of transparency in distribution of free wheat seed and fertiliser by the Sindh government among rain-hit people.

They say the revenue department did not invite representatives of the Sindh Abadgar Board (SAB) and the Sindh Chamber of Agriculture (SCA) to ensure fair distribution despite formation of committees at the district level.

The provincial government had said that representatives of the SCA and SAB would be included in the committees to verify claims of farmers.

The process of distribution is about to end now in wheat-growing areas. The package is meant to help small growers who had incurred losses because their crops had been battered by monsoon rains in lower Sindh.

After last year’s flood, a similar package was given by the government and under a USAID project sunflower seed and urea were also distributed.

However, distribution of wheat seed raised questions and it was started quite late. Growers fear to face the same problem again.

According to President of the Sindh Abadgar Board (SAB) Abdul Majeed Nizamani, the distribution process was carried out in a questionable manner. “Our representatives are not invited by revenue officers at the district level although we have nominated them. Now we don’t know how claims are verified.”

He said there were many instances in which the required quantity of seed was not distributed. “In one case in Golarchi in Badin, a farmer was given 32kg of seed for four acres of land, whereas each acre needs 50kg of seed. How this formula was worked out?” he asked.

He said he had doubts that this year Sindh would be crossing 2.5 million acres mark in wheat cultivation. “Last year wheat was cultivated on 2.8 million acres because of increase in fertility in land due to silt brought by floods and Sindh produced 4.2 million tons of wheat,” he said.

Mir Zafarullah Talpur, a representative of the SCA in Mirpurkhas district, agrees with Nizamani. “I was nominated by the SCA for my district which was badly hit by the monsoon rains, but I am not invited to any meeting of the said committee,” he said.

He said taluka level office-bearers of a political party were verifying claims of farmers and papers were sent to Mukhtiarkar’s office for distribution of seed and fertiliser.

“While distribution of wheat is under way but I can’t say anything about transparency because I am not involved in the process despite being nominated for it. I doubt the process,” Mr Talpur added.

When contacted, Sindh Agriculture Secretary Agha Jan Akhtar told Dawn that such incidents might have taken place in isolated cases but the agriculture department was not involved in distribution althought it had procured 55,000 tons of seed for rain-hit areas and to his knowledge 33,000 tons had been distributed.

“Deputy commissioners are responsible for ensuring transparency in consultation with committees so that they can give the exact picture as far as distribution of seed and fertiliser is concerned,” he said.

He, however, claimed that there would be no food security problem because the area that might not be brought under cultivation in lower Sindh region would be compensated in upper Sindh areas where wheat sowing was in progress.

“I think the acreage figure of last and present years will remain the same with some marginal difference and wheat crop will be good,” he said.

He said he estimated that Sindh would produce four million tons of wheat.

Mr Nizamani said if the Sindh government had procured 55,000 tons of seed, it would be good for farmers. “But revenue officials have a system which will make it difficult for anyone to know where this seed goes,” he said.

According to his assessment, 125,000 to 128,000 tons of seed is usually sown to bring about 2.5 million acres of land under wheat cultivation and if 55,000 tons have already been procured, wheat sowing should not be affected. However, transparency is something that always matters in such matters.

Our Mirpurkhas correspondent adds: Hundreds of rain-hit growers of Kherao union council of Sindhri taluka demonstrated on the Khipro-Sindhri road near Phuladiyoon on Sunday.

They were demanding wheat and sunflower seeds and fertilisers.

They blocked the road, causing suspension of vehicular traffic for an hour. They raised slogans against the assistant commissioner and Mukhtiarkar of Sindhri taluka.

Protesters Mushtaq Jarwar, Abdul Latif Jarwar and Yousuf Jarwar accused the officials of distributing seeds and fertiliser on political basis.

They urged the higher authorities to ensure judicious distribution of seed and fertilisers.

When contacted, Deputy Commissioner of Tando Mohammad Khan Syed Barkat Rizvi said the distribution of seeds and fertiliser had been completed in the district in cooperation with growers’ representatives. Commissioner of Mirpurkhas division Ghulam Hussain Memon did not respond to calls.