Growers’ body laments abrupt deregulation measures

HYDERABAD: A meeting of the Sindh Abadgar Board in Hyderabad, which was attended by growers of different districts, lamented one-sided and abrupt deregulation measures by the government, which, according to the board, had caused losses in Kharif crops.

The participants discussed the Kharif season of 2024, which just ended with production losses in paddy, cotton, sesame and sugar cane. It was said that the losses were also a result of very high temperatures during the summer. All of the said crops also saw reduction in the prices in comparison to the previous year, while the cost of inputs rose.

The meeting observed that the government should have first properly planned the deregulation policy before implementing it. With the absence of competitive markets and ban on exports, the government literally threw the agricultural produce to the middle man, hoarders, and very large monopolistic processors, the board said.

Of the commodities mentioned, only rice was allowed to be exported. Other commodities were either not allowed to be exported or were heavily regulated, which created a glut in the market, and therefore the market-driven prices were not achieved.

The growers said that it was a strange fact that the governments elsewhere incentivised the domestic production, but in Pakistan the domestic production was being penalized for example; domestic production of cotton was subject to 18 percent of tax, but cotton’s import was tax free.

The growers of Nara and Dadu canals expressed concern over water availability in the coming days, but for different reasons. It was said that the Nara canal was supposed to be closed from Jan 6 till Jan 21 for annual maintenance but this year, water was reduced 25 days before the closure which resulted in severe water shortages in the already deficient tail end areas.

The growers therefore requested that the duration of the annual closure for Nara be reduced and water be supplied from January 15. The growers observed that if the canal was opened on January 15, the tail end areas would get water after seven days due to the travelling time.

It was said that the Dadu canal, which irrigated half a million a acres, was not able to take water as per its allocations due to silting on the right side of the Indus upstream of the Sukkur Barrage. The growers called for immediate repairs or else most of the command area of the Dadu canal would have perpetual water shortage.

The meeting observed that this was the time of annual closure, due to which proper maintenance and de-silting of irrigation system should be carried out. The meeting was presided over by Mahmood Nawaz Shah and attended by Syed Nadeem Shah, Muhammad Malook Nizamani , Imran Bozdar, Ahsan Arbab, Yar Muhammad Laghari, Mustafa Nawaz Shah, Manzoor Solangi, Murad Ali Shah Bukerai and others.