Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA) Chairman Chaudhry Zaka Ashraf has welcomed Prime Minister's approval for dripping and sprinkling irrigation system and termed it a delayed, but good decision on the part of government.
Talking to media persons here on Tuesday, Zaka said the PSMA had been advocating for dripping and sprinkling irrigation system for the last five years and strongly believes that it is the only way for the survival of both the farmers and the agriculture economy.
He said an early implementation of such an irrigation system would bring a revolutionary change in the output of sugarcane, cotton, wheat, and fruit orchards in the country.
The PSMA chief said the agro economy is under immense pressure due to rising water-scarcity while per acre yield is being affected with every passing day due to water shortage. The start of dripping and sprinkling irrigation system would enhance per acre yield of leading crops to some 30 percent in one-go with gradual increase in the years to come. The government should immediately start this programme on war footings without wasting time by getting into pilot projects, he asserted.
He suggested that the government should allocate substantial amount like it has earlier allocated Rs 66 billion for brick lining of watercourses. As Rs 15 billion amount for five years is a meager amount the funds should be enhanced and placed at the disposal of a committee of Agriculture Department, Irrigation Department and sugar mills in each district which must be monitored by provincial governments.
The dripping and sprinkling irrigation system is ideal for growing of sugarcane, as is evident from other cane growing countries statistics which are getting above 1000 maunds of cane per acre by using this technology, he added.