The Sindh Abadgar Board (SAB) has expressed apprehensions that the province might turn into poppy growing areas due to continuous decline in agriculture production due to poor availability of water, prolonged dry spell and fast deteriorating law and order situation.
In its pre-budget proposals presented to Federal Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz, the Board pointed out that the farming community in the province had suffered a revenue loss of Rs 58.822 million during the past five years which has brought the rural economy on the brink of disaster.
It has been observed that small growers and tail-end farmers resorting to poppy sowing which indicated that a serious trend is developing in the province.
The Sindh Abadgar Board presented statistics of past five years indicating the decline in major crops - wheat, rice, sugarcane, and cotton - what to talk of other minor crops.
It attributed the present production loses to lack of direction and composite strategy with regard to water resources of the country particularly of Sindh.
It pointed out that parliamentary committee on water has mentioned wastage of 47 maf water. Another project launched by the government in Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority (Sida) with the whopping budget of Rs 25 billion and strong institutional support of international donors has absolutely contributed nothing during past five to eight years.
The Board maintained that in spite of the failure of the pilot project and rejection by the other provinces, Sindh is continuing to expand Sida by spending enormous amount on consultants.
SAB proposes for producing more by utilising every available drop of water with integrated water resources by lining of watercourses at a cost of Rs 100 billion at the rate of Rs 20 billion per year to save 30 percent or more than 30 maf water.
It said this would not only arrest the growing water-logging and salinity, but also increase water velocity, generate employment and save foreign exchange.
The Board also proposed land levelling and the cost of the project can be shared by the government and for providing 50 percent subsidiary and waving interest on another 50 percent as capital lone to farmers, saying this will help save water equivalent to three Kalabagh Dam improve yield per acres, enhance quality of crops, generate employment in rural population and indignation of laser technologies.
It also proposes farmed reservoir as a part of integrated water resource management where private sector manage their water on farms according to their needs.
They may be encouraged in areas where under-ground water is saline and in tail-end areas where water availability is erratic.
The Board proposes to privatise non-functional railway stations by giving permits licenses to the private sector to operate on basis of build and operate. It suggested that the private sector may actually pay for the rights to operate.
To argument, that incentive should be given to investors who may undertake to expand the network.
The Board also proposes that instead of having the minister and the minister of state for agriculture, there should be a junior minister for agriculture export. Currently, the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) and the Horticulture Export Board (HEB) are redundant in many fields.
It also said the department specialising in agriculture export be created by merging HEB and carving out some desks of the EPB, adding the ministry can create forum where growers and exporters can get together to increase the quality of the produce, eliminate middle man, and discuss about value addition.
The Board of the view that the direct integration between producers and exporters will increase the export. It proposes for setting up agriculture export processing zone at the Tehsil level.
The Board pointed out that the currently markets such as USA and Japan are closed for Pakistani fruits and vegetables, saying during the coming years SPS (sanitary and phytosanitary) and other quality requirements in the existing markets would be more stringent.
SAB also proposed that to deal with the situation most modern laboratories confirming to those standards in every district may be set up, saying the private-public partnership may be encouraged to establish such laboratories to meet the challenges of the WTO regime.
It suggested that the foreign companies and expertise should be given free hand at the government-owned farms in the country to produce high quality certified hybrid seed.
It also proposed that the time consuming paper work involvement in revenue offices to reduce, revolving credit schemes should be encouraged and time period be increased.
It said that the new projects such leasing of agricultural equipment credits cards and agriculture insurance made available to the sectors and the mark-up rate, which up to 14 percent be brought to a single digit.
SAB strongly resented non-implementation of the 1991 Water Accord, saying Wapda and Irsa are more influential operating this system according to their own formulas and denying due share in water of Sindh.
It said all other three federating units supplied their due share of water, and termed it as against all norms of justice.
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