FPRW in cotton supply chain must

HYDERABAD: Experts, during a consultative workshop on Thursday, urged the Sindh government to promote Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (FPRW), certified seeds, price mechanism, and better water management to improve the cotton supply chain and bring it at par with global practices.

The workshop was organised at the Sindh Agriculture University (SAU), Tandojam in collaboration with International Labour Organization (ILO) Islamabad under the European Union Funded Project promoting FPRW in the cotton supply chain.

Mir Zafarullah Talpur, a progressive farmer and Sindh Growers Alliance representative, said water scarcity in the tail-end areas of Mirpurkhas, Sanghar, Umerkot, Badin and Thatta districts has negatively impacted agriculture, especially cotton, resulting in increasing poverty among the poor farmers.

Dr Waqar Ahmed, director technology, USAID Contractor, said strong partnership was needed between farmers, women pickers, and other stakeholders to cope with the challenges of child labour in Sindh.