Farmers warn of protests over seed and fertiliser

Jacobabad president alleges ‘large-scale’ corruption in distribution.

SUKKUR: After the flood, Jacobabad was caught in the grip of crippling corruption, said Abadgar Action Committee Jacobabad President Asghar Panhwar on Tuesday. He threatened to launch a protest on February 17 against corruption in the distribution of seed and fertiliser in the flood-hit districts of Sindh.

Talking to the media in Jacobabad, he claimed that the Jacobabad DCO and other elected representatives are responsible for this “large-scale corruption”.

Before the flood hit, the district administration had issued warnings, asking the residents to move to safer areas and thousands of people had packed up and left. However, later only eight of the 15 union councils in Jacobabad were declared flood affected. Fertiliser and seeds are being given only to people who have political patronage while the “real survivors” are being ignored.

Meanwhile, following the growers’ complaints of corruption in the distribution, the newly posted Thull Mukhtiarkar, Abu Bakar Sadhayo was suspended on Tuesday, informed sources claimed. Earlier, two mukhtiarkars, Abdul Malik Khoso and Mushtaq Jatoi, were suspended and transferred from Thull on similar charges. Sadhayo had taken over as mukhtiarkar just six days ago.

Jacobabad DCO Sajid Jamal Abro was unavailable for comment.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 16^th, 2011.