Uplifting Thar

This refers to the article ‘Food for Thar’ (July 18) by Muhammad Abbas Khaskheli. The death of infants is common occurrence in Thar – albeit unfortunate. One of the main causes of the miseries of people of Thar is profiteers who act like double-edged swords: when farmers need seeds, they double and triple the prices. And, when the crop is harvested, they bring down the rates to half and even lower. Guar is a major crop of the desert area. Its major quality is that it can be preserved at room temperature for several years. Sindh’s guar seeds are always in high demand in the international market. The producers of such a precious item should not suffer at the hands of profiteers.

The government may take effective measures to rescue the farmers from profiteers’ double exploitation to ensure no Umaa Kohli loses her children any more. To keep the profiteers away from the farmers, Guar seed banks must be established at the union council level so that they can provide interest-free loans to farmers on mortgaging of seeds, as and when needed. Extraordinary incentives should be provided to local entrepreneurs to set up guar powder manufacturing units in Thar to create more job opportunities for the locals.

Sada Hayat Jalbani

Karachi