While highlighting the importance of biosaline agriculture, elected representatives, irrigation and agriculture experts, civil society organizations and coal mining companies on Saturday urged the Sindh government to introduce mega schemes on biosaline agriculture for farmers to eradicate poverty from the region and making drought irrelevant in Thar.
They were speaking at a two-day mega event entitled "Blooming Thar: Transforming Biosaline Agriculture in Tharparkar", which was jointly organized by District Administration of Tharparkar, Government of Sindh, Sindh Irrigated Agriculture Productivity Enhancement Project (SIAPEP), Thar Foundation, Sino-Sindh Resources Ltd and leading NGOs like Thardeep, Aware and RDF.
The event was simultaneously consisting of exhibition, seminar and a consultative session, which was chaired by Provincial Minister for Agriculture, Ismail Rahu and addressed by MNA Dr Mahesh Malani, MPA, Faqeer Sher Muhammad Bilalani, SIAPEP Project Director, Rano Mal Dodani and Thar Foundation's Mohsin Babbar. water expert, Dr Rasool Bux Mahar, agriculture expert, Dr Ismail Kunbhar, Bhawani Shankar, Dr Attaullah of AZRI also spoke on the occasion.
Agriculture Minister, Ismail Rahu assured that the Government of Sindh is ready to support combating drought situation in Thar by introducing biosaline agriculture on mass scale in Tharparkar.
He said, in order to bringing a paradigm-shift in the cropping and watering pattern in Tharparkar, farmers should adopt modern irrigation and agriculture methods to produce across the year yields without concerning much about the droughts.
He said, Sindh accounts for up to 24 percent of saline land that emphasizes urge for introducing biosaline agriculture. MNA Dr Mahesh Malani was of the view that it has been now proved that the biosaline agriculture is possible in Tharparkar after numerous organizations such as Thar Foundation, Aware and RDF has successfully demonstrated pilot project in the region.
"Its time to act not only by the coal mining and power producing firms but Sindh Government should also come forward and announce a biosaline agriculture package for the farmers of Thar, which should include subsidized solar system-based tube wells.
MPA Faqeer Sher Muhammaed Bilalani said that Sindh government should mobilize financial institutions for giving soft or interest free long-term loans to farmers so that they may grow crops and fodder on biosaline agriculture.
Mohsin Babbar of Thar Foundation said, they have demonstrated successful biosaline agriculture by growing cotton, sun flower, vegetables, different varieties of fodder and other sale eating halophytes.
He also said growing fish in biosaine Gorano pond is another successful model which can be replicated in the region and will be a good source of livelihoods for the farmers.
Imminent experts, Rano Mal Dodani, Dr Ghulam Rasool Mahar, Dr Imtiaz Kunbhar, Dr Attaullah, Bhawani Shankar, Mustafa Ujjan also spoke on the occasions and concluded that the region of Thar is a perfect area for growing cash crops, vegetables and fodder in terms of soil, water and climatic conditions.
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