President Zardari Keen to Develop Agriculture Economy: ECONOMISTAN

"The drip irrigation was also used on large scale in China. Under this technology farmers can raise their crops with less quantity of water."

President Asif Ali Zardari was taking personal interest in development of agriculture economy in Pakistan and for that matter he had taken a lot of steps including his visits to China along with delegation of agriculture experts from Pakistan to see for themselves how China, a country of more than 1.25 billion people was making fast advances in every field including agriculture. During his visits to China President Zardari has signed as many 12 agreements out of which Pakistan was implementing 11. Otherwise Pakistan had been such a country that lacks in implementing international conventions and agreements. Under an agreement with China Pakistan would get modern technology from China on agriculture under which a farmer here can raise crops with less quantity of water. Such method is called “ drip irrigation”. China has converted sea water for use of irrigation. President Zardari has also sought this technology from China. An Agriculture Conference held at Hyderabad, Sindh on last day of February 2010 under aegis of Sindh Chamber of Agriculture was informed by leaders of farmer community that there was acute shortage of water in the province to the extent that in many districts people could not get water for drinking. Muhammad Khan Sarejo president of Chamber of Agriculture Badin told participants that in Miran Jamali village people did not have water enough to wash the dead body forcing them to bury it without Ghusl. The conference was apprised of issues and problems growers of Sindh were facing by the leaders of agriculture organizations. On top of these issue was shortage of water which was affecting not only cultivation of various crops but also at present affecting standing crops of wheat, sugarcane, banana and others. Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah who was chief guest of the Zarai Conference also admitted that there was acute shortage of water in lower Sindh districts of Badin, Thatta, Mirpurkhas, Tharparkar, Umerkot and parts of Hyderabad district so much so that people were not getting enough water for drinking. He assured the people that his government was taking all steps to get due share of water from Indus through dialogues with Punjab. To general cry against Punjab that is was stealing water of Sindh from rivers, Qaim Ali Shah told that he had received such complaints and they had held several meetings with delegations of Punjab on issues of water and informed house that Punjab has started to realize the sufferings of Sindh. Syed Murad Ali Shah provincial irrigation minister was more vocal but said that they must not fight with Punjab on water and that they were trying to get due water of Sindh through dialogues. However it was President Zardaris special assistant Kamal Majeedullah who calmed down the cry of growers and told them of the steps President Zardari was taking to develop agriculture economy of country especially of Sindh where there was shortage of canal water. He said he accompanied the president during his recent trip to China where they were invited to see the farms spreading to thousands of acres getting water for cultivation through modern technology under which brackish water of sea was turned to use for cultivation. The drip irrigation was also used on large scale in China. Under this technology farmers can raise their crops with less quantity of water. President’s Adviser said that when a water is flown to our fields the farmer do not care of wastage of water as it stands to more than a feet above plantation which was on one hand wastage of water while on the other it causes delay in growth of plant. He asked farmers to avoid wastage of water. He told the audience that it was only Pakistan Peoples Party which when comes into power concentrates on the basic issues of people. He said as our country was agriculture so the President was taking keen interest in making advances in agriculture to meet the food needs of masses in the coming years when whole world could be facing shortage of water due to increasing global warming. The conference was told that president Zardari wants to turn Pakistan into agriculture tiger of Asia and to get the country to model of China when the modern technology in use of China is brought to Pakistan and used her by farmers. There is no doubt that Pakistan was an agriculture country where 75% of population is linked with profession of cultivation. If we have to convert our country into developed one we shall have to make advances in agriculture economy.

We are not industrial country as such our destiny lies in green revolution. It was this government of PPP that had raised the prices of wheat to Rs.950 per 40 kilograms the result of which was that last year both Sindh and Punjab had bumper wheat crops. Punjab has 5 lakh tons of wheat in surplus while Sindh has one and a half lakh ton which can be exported to earn foreign exchange but the leadership decided not to export wheat keeping in view the situation of next crop harvest of which is due in this month of March in Sindh and the shortage of water faced in Sindh might affect the standing crops. Sensing this danger Syed Qaim Ali Shah had told agriculture conference that if water did not arrive in 10-12 days, the standing crops of wheat, sugarcane and others might be destroyed that is why the government had stored surplus wheat for use in such a situation.

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