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KARACHI The Sindh agriculture department has initiated a Rs250 million project to provide laser land-levelling equipment to farmers on 50 per cent subsidy.
The US-made laser unit is attached to tractors while tilling the land to produce uniform and plain soil surface that makes optimum use of soil and water.
The cost of a laser unit comes to Rs0.45 million, of which the farmer selected through balloting would have to pay Rs225,000 per set.
A progressive grower Anwer Bachani of Sindh Chamber of Agriculture told Dawn on Saturday that the laser land levelling equipment played wonders in increasing per acre yield of wheat to 70 maund against 30 to 40 maund achieved through manual levelling method.
He said that the laser land levelling project was initiated in the past but was later abandoned and the present government has revived a good scheme.
Bachani, however, said that small farmers could not afford the cost alone and manage the computerised equipment, which also needs training and maintenance to use the laser equipment.
A spokesman of the department told Dawn that the biggest advantage of the laser system is to raise productivity through precise land levelling with minimizing the use of water which is always in short supply in agricultural areas.
He said that the traditional levelling of land is not only cumbersome and time consuming and more expensive compared to laser levelling which not only strengthens inputs and support services used in irrigation of which water is the most important.
The laser land levelling eliminates high and low spots on the soil which generally cause salinity and water logging but brings uniformity in seed germination.
Meanwhile, the agriculture department has further extended the date for submitting applications by farmers to get subsidised tractors to Oct 31.
The scheme envisaging grant of Rs200,000 and Rs300,000 subsidies on small and big tractors seems to be victim of short of funds with the government.
A source in the department said that the finance has not released funds for the scheme which compelled the department to further extend the date.
A spokesman of Sindh Chamber of Agriculture has criticised delay in distribution of tractors awaited eagerly by the growers who are keen to increase production of cash crops in the present time of food shortages.
He fears party favouritism in distribution of tractors through ballot and said most farmers were not confident of transparency in the process as most of such schemes are misused benefiting the already big and rich and depriving the common man of his due rights.
