The Sindh Chamber of Agriculture (SCA) has called upon the government to appoint a commission, which should include growers' representatives to estimate the cost of production of each crop.

In a meeting held on Friday, the SCA said farmers didn't get a fair price for their hard work, and therefore, the government must set up a commission to assess the total cost of production and fix support price of the crop.

It noted with concern the manifold increase in the prices of diesel, pesticides and fertilisers, and the paltry return growers got for their labour and expenses.

It also noted with concern the delay by the Irrigation Department in plugging the breaches in Left Bank Outfall Drain (LBOD), and said that it should be increased to raise its capacity.

The heavy rains at the end of the last monsoon season destroyed the LBOD completely and if not repaired immediately, it may cause more havoc in the coming rainy season. It also expressed concern over delay in desilting canals and channels.

The meeting said that the rainwater still stagnating in Tando Bago taluka of Badin district and Jhuddo and Umerkot talukas of Mirpurkhas district was a matter of concern. It should be drained out without any loss.

The SCA asked the government to set up wheat procurement centres and arrange bags because harvesting of wheat will start next month, and immediately announce the support price of cotton.

The meeting was presided over by SCA president Dr Syed Nadeem Qamar and attended by Mir Murad Ali Khan Talpur, Akhund Ghulam Siddiqui, Zahid Bhurgari and Mir Abdul Karim Talpur.