Govt to provide agricultural equipment to small-scale farmers at subsidised rates

The Sindh government will help small- and medium-scale farmers and landholders by providing agricultural equipment, machinery, tube-wells, solar power systems and smart irrigation systems at subsidised rates.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said this while presiding over a joint meeting of officials of the provincial agriculture and irrigation departments on Monday. The meeting was held at the CM House and attended by Planning and Development Minister Nasir Hussain Shah, Irrigation Minister Jam Khan Shoro, Agriculture Minister Sardar Mohammad Bux Mahar, Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, Principal Secretary to CM Agha Wasif, Senior Member Board of Revenue Baqaullah Unar, Agriculture Secretary Rafiq Buriro, Finance Secretary Fayaz Jatoi and others.

“Farmers will pay only a small share of the total cost of the facilities so that they could own them, utilise them for their benefit and ultimately contribute to strengthening agro-economy,” the CM said.

The agriculture minister briefed the meeting about the measures being taken to boost the agriculture sector. He said the provision of agriculture equipment and solar systems for tube-wells to the growers would support agricultural productivity.

The CM directed the agriculture secretary to submit to him a detailed proposal so that growers may be provided assistance. “We have to work out its financial implications so that necessary funds can be arranged apart from the allocations made in the current budget.”

Murad said that during the current Kharif season, the rising temperature could impact agricultural output and stressed the need for guiding the growers in this regard. He said that climate change, floods, heavy rains and rising temperature had affected agriculture right from its sowing season to harvesting. “I want you to study the current Kharif season temperature, and its positive and negative impact on the crops so that growers could be guided accordingly,” he added.

Quoting the figures of the 2020 temperatures during the Kharif season in Sindh, the CM said that the average maximum and minimum temperature was recorded at 36.5 degrees Celsus and 27.1 degrees Celsius respectively.

Shah said that due to the blockade of old waterways, the land in the LBOD system had degraded. “Now, we have restored the old waterways in Shaheed Benazirabad, Sanghar, Mirpurkhas, and Badin, therefore, the lands in those areas will be upgraded.”

The CM directed the irrigation department to provide water to the growers so that they could grow their crops properly. The irrigation minister Irrigation told the CM that water was being provided to the perennial canals and some non-perennial canals for drinking purposes.