The Sindh Chamber of Agriculture (SCA) has expressed grave concern on destruction of all agriculture crops due to rains in lower Sindh, and demanded of the federal government for special package to growers along with exemption and remission in all taxes, recoveries and bank loans.
Addressing a news conference here on Monday, SCA President Syed Qamar-uz-Zaman Shah said the cotton crop was picked up and lying in open as well as that standing in fields over one million acres was completely washed away.
He said other crops - rice, sugarcane, banana, chilli, onion, tomatoes, potatoes, etc - have also been destroyed in recent rains, which was heaviest after so many years.
The SCA chief said the destruction of crops would not only affect growers, but it would also affect consumers as the prices of agriculture commodities would shoot up for their shortage. He said the tomato was being sold at Rs 100 per kg and may not be available when the present stock is consumed.
Shah saidthe loss of agriculture in Sindh could be in billions of rupees, and demanded of the federal government to grant package for growers in Sindh as the Sindh government would not provide them any kind of relief as it has failed even to provide relief to rain-affected people.
He ridiculed the announcement of Sindh Chief Minister Arbab Rahim about payment of Rs 5,000 as compensation for Kutcha house washed away in rain and Rs 10,000 for Pucca house. He said even a Jhuggi (hut) cannot be built out of this amount and said compensation of Rs 10,000 for a house damaged completely in rain is a joke of the Sindh chief minister with the rain-hit people.
He said in Latifabad No 2, 9 and 11, over knee-deep rainwater was still standing on roads, streets and houses. He said that Dr Arbab has not declared 12 districts as calamity-hit which were worst affected in rains and has announced to carry out survey.
He questioned as to who would conduct survey and how the surveyors of the government would wade through the rainwater to conduct survey. He also deplored that in Latifabad, the army pulled out the people from rain water, but their house holdings left behind were stolen and the affected people were deprived of their belongings.
The SCA chief deplored that the destruction in Husri, Tando Jam, Tando Muhammad Khan, Badin, and Seri was not seen by Sindh Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim who has not declared Hyderabad rural Taluka and other areas as calamity-hit.
SCA representatives Muhammad Khan Sarejo from Badin, Aijaz Nabi Shah from Tando Muhammad Khan, and Akhund Ghulam Muhammad Siddiqui from Matiari were present and provided details of destruction of crops in their respective districts.
Shah also demanded for replacing the electric transformers and electric lines as existing ones were completely destroyed. He also asked for remission in electric bills.
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