HYDERABAD, March 6: The Sindh Chamber of Agriculture has demanded subsidy for farmers on agricultural inputs to enable them to compete in the world market in the WTO regime.

The chamber at a meeting held here on Sunday reminded the federal government that the government of India, which it claimed was Pakistan's main competitor in agricultural goods in the international market, had provided subsidy to farmers on all agricultural inputs. Chamber president Syed Qamaruzzaman Shah presided over the meeting.

In another resolution, the meeting called upon the Sindh government to abolish the water rotation programme and strengthen embankments of canals and channels to ensure water supply to farmers in tail-end areas. It maintained that repair and strengthening of waterways would reduce the incidence of breaches.

Expressing concern over the recent increase in prices of oil and gas and levy of 2.5 per cent GST and excise duty on sugar, the meeting demanded withdrawal of the rise in the prices.

It observed that due to adulteration in seeds, pesticides and fertilizers, quality and quantity of crops had deteriorated. It urged the government to take measures to eradicate adulteration in agricultural inputs.

The meeting further demanded that to ensure supply of good quality seed to farmers, the Sindh Seed Corporation should be reactivated without any further delay.

It authorized chamber president Shah to attend a meeting in connection with the WTO in Islamabad on March 9.

CPP: Communist Party of Pakistan secretary-general Imdad Qazi has thanked parties and organizations which welcomed and held receptions in honour of visiting communist party leaders from India, Comrade Surjeet and Comrade Bardhan.

In a statement issued here on Sunday, he expressed the hope that the communist parties of Pakistan and India would play a positive role in restoration of normal relations between the two countries.

Mr Qazi clarified that the CPP had nothing to do with distribution of handbills at the Karachi Press Club in which the visiting guests from India were criticized.

PROTEST: The Sindh Naujawan Taraqqi Pasand Social Welfare Organization here on Sunday staged a protest march against the rise in number of narcotics addicts in the city and other social evils.

Speaking on the occasion, A. D. Narejo, Mian Ali Mohammad Walhari, Shaman Khan Khoso, Aisha, Kulsoom and others demanded that the government should take strict action against narcotics dealers.

BISE: The controller of examinations, Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Hyderabad, on Saturday announced results of oriental languages examinations of 2004.