President Sindh Abadgar Ittehad (SAI), Nawab Zubair Talpur has demanded the government to declare Sindh as calamity-hit province with waving off all kinds of agriculture related taxes so that the growers could take sigh of relief.
Addressing a press conference here at Hyderabad Press Club on Thursday, he said that due to acute shortage of water, million acres of agriculture fields become barren and the growers of the province are suffering financial problems due to no production of crops.
He held IRSA responsible for creating acute shortage of water which deprived the growers of Sindh of sowing seasonal crops in time even the people and the livestock are in search of water for their survival. He said that the sugar mill owners are reluctant to comply with the orders of the Supreme Court and so far have not paid the differences of cane price at the rate of Rs 160/- per 40 kilograms to growers. The Cane Commissioner Sindh had issued certificates of starting cane crushing to all sugar mills of the province from November but the owners started crushing in the months of January and February and received subsidy of billion of rupees on the basis of fake certificates of the Cane Commissioner, he alleged.
He said that the sugar cane growers are still waiting for payment of outstanding dues of Rs 8 billion from mill owners. He demanded the authorities concerned to take notice of such injustice and ensure the payment of outstanding dues to growers. Nawab Zubair Talpur also demanded the provision of irrigation water at the tail farmers in order to avert further economic losses to the province.