THATTA, June 11: The Small Growers Association (SGA) has urged Sindh Governor Mohammedmian Soomro to notify the areas of Sindh already declared ‘calamity-hit’ so as to enable the deserving farmers avail the relief package before the June 30 deadline.

President Gen Pervez Musharraf had announced the relief package during his referendum campaign.

According to the notification No. RD/01/2002 dated May 22, 2002 issued by the Agriculture Development Bank of Pakistan, all agricultural loans up to Rs25,000 have been declared as written off along with the mark-up thereof up to the date. The entire amount of mark-up on the agricultural loans from Rs25,001 and up to Rs100,000 has been waived on condition that the principal amount was repaid by June 30.

Though an estimated 10,000 small farmers are expected to benefit from the package in Thatta district alone, it did not cover a majority of farmers hit by natural disasters in the affected region, the SGA maintained.

It has faxed to the governor a representation to appreciate the relief package and said that the small growers of the district had suffered a series of calamities over the last two decades.

It recalled that the 1999 cyclone had devastated the entire land and assets of the people of the districts along the coastal line while they were already facing enormous problems due to the super floods in Indus at one stage and drought-like situation throughout the past five years.

The situation, it said, was still prevailing without remedial measures with blockage of water downstream Kotri.

The losses, particularly facing the small growers, were irreparable, it added saying that around 1.2 million acres of land in Thatta district had submerged under oceanic water.

The SGA pointed out that the rest of land in the district was hit by hyper-salinity devastating the lands rapidly.

It urged President Musharraf to extend the package to all the affected small growers covering those having borrowed up to Rs200,000 agricultural loans.