Farmers urged to grow rice substitute

SUKKUR: Growers have been advised to cultivate a substitute of the rice crops in order to reduce environmental footprint and save land from water logging and salinity.
In a seminar themed “Paddy cultivation and its impact on agricultural lands of Khairpur”, Additional Commissioner Sukkur said thousands of acres of agricultural land has turned barren due to the cultivation of rice, which has badly affected the local economy as well as agricultural sector.
He apprised Chief Minister Sindh Qaim Ali Shah has ordered the police department to ensure the paddy cultivation ban on the left bank of the Indus River. He said the ban has been imposed as the cultivation of paddy crops on the left bank leads to salinization and water logging of the land.
Tariq Nizamani Additional Commissioner Khairpur said that 1109 acres of paddy crops in the last one year has been seized and a fine of Rs2.3 million has been collected from the growers, adding control rooms at aluka Levels have been established to strictly implement the ban on the paddy cultivation. Rais Ghulam Qadir Jiskani former Sindh care taker minister said that water logging and salinity increased owing to the cultivation of rice, however he pointed out that the tube wells installed at the premises are out of order while millions of rupees are being spent on them annually.