Flood-hit growers: Murad okays Rs7bn for provision of seeds of wheat, oil crops

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah presided over two separate meetings of the Planning and Development Board and agriculture department, and approved Rs7 billion for provision of seeds of wheat and oil crops to the growers hit by floods.

“We have to encourage the growers to prepare their flooded lands for Rabi crops; therefore we have to support them,” he said.

The meetings were also attended by Chief Minister’s Adviser on Agriculture Manzoor Wassan, Minister for Food and Excise Mukesh Chawla, Chairman for P&D Hassan Naqvi, PSCM Fayaz Jatoi, and Agriculture Secretary Aijaz Mahesar.

Mr Wassan said that around 369,400 hectares of land was ready for wheat cultivation. He added that the growers should be given seeds of wheat and oil crops for cultivation.

The chief minister said that he had already announced his decision to support the growers by providing them with seeds of wheat and oil crops. He approved an amount of Rs7 billion for the purpose and directed the irrigation department to strengthen its system for the provision of water.

The CM directed Mr Wassan to develop a mechanism for the distribution of seeds and present to him a report on the matter within a week for approval.

While presiding over the meeting of the P&D Board, Mr Shah directed its Chairman Hassan Naqvi to review the development portfolio of every department and identify the ongoing schemes adversely affected by the floods. “We have to repair the existing damaged infrastructure, including roads, buildings, bridges, and irrigation system,” he said.

Mr Naqvi told the chief minister that in the ADP for 2022-23 Rs79.119 billion had been allocated for new schemes and Rs253.146 billion for the ongoing schemes.

It was pointed out that the chief minister had frozen all released funds, except for Karachi-based schemes, and allocated funds for human resources payments. Mr Shah said that no release would be made for new schemes.

He directed the chairman to determine the status of the schemes, including physical damage in percentages cost impact, and recommendation of the concerned department for release of funds if the work could be continued, and variation in the cost and scope of the scheme, or to suspend/freeze the allocated/released funds on the damaged schemes till their revision.

The chairman said that he would collect the details and would present the same to the chair within the next few days.

MEETINGS WITH DIPLOMATS: In his meeting with Ambassador of France Nicolas Galey and French Consul General in Karachi Alexis Chahtahtinsky discussed the possibility of French support for water supply, RO plants technology for Karachi, and cooperation between the University of Agriculture, Tandojam, and Agriculture University of France.

Mr Shah said that French expertise in water supply systems and RO and desalination plants was well-known across the world. “We are working hard to meet the water requirements of the mega-city of Karachi by installing RO and desalination plants to convert seawater for drinking purposes.”

The French ambassador said that he would support the Sindh government by bringing experts from France to guide and support the provincial government to develop a workable and decent water supply system, including the installation of desalination plants.

The CM and the visiting diplomat also discussed cooperation for the introduction of new agricultural technology. Mr Shah said that close cooperation between the Tandojam agriculture university and the Agriculture University of France may be developed.

Ethiopian Ambassador Jemal Bekar also called on the chief minister and discussed with him the possibility of trade between Sindh province and Ethiopia. He said that his government was presently importing medicines from Karachi, which ties could be expanded to other commodities.

The chief minister appreciated the ambassador’s efforts for enhancing trade between the two sides and assured him of his support and cooperation.