Senator urges resolution of Balochistan farmers’ problems
Today, ZTBL has become a loan recovery institution as farmers delay the repayment of debt due to financial constraints. Photo: afp
Senate Standing Committee for Petroleum and Resources Chairman Senator Muhammad Abdul Qadir has said measures would be taken for the development of the agriculture and livestock sectors in Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province in terms of area, as its population depended on them and on the mineral sector.
In a press statement issued here, he said that modern and efficient management of water was important for the development of agriculture. Balochistan, the Senator said, had a few major rivers whose water was used to carry out most of its agricultural activities which were adversely affected whenever there were floods or a shortage of water in them.
He said that the provincial and federal governments should take steps for the availability of water at economical rates. In Balochistan, he said, the government should install free large-scale solar energy tube wells for small farmers so that they can grow grain for themselves.
Following that, he said, the problems of medium farmers should be resolved after which tube wells with solar energy should be installed free of cost for the big farmers so that farmers’ problems could be addressed across the province and they could grow plenty of grain and fodder for livestock.
To date, he said, no government had taken an interest in resolving the problems of the farmers of Balochistan due to which farmers across the province were suffering.
He said that, in such adverse conditions, there was a fear of famine in Balochistan. Installation of solar energy tube wells, he said, would give farmers relief from high electricity bills and also enable them to get high crop yields. He added that, if the provincial and federal governments were to solve the problems of the farmers of the province, prosperity would be seen throughout Balochistan.
The Senate Standing Committee Chairman also said Balochistan had full potential to brighten the future of Pakistan, that ensuring the provision of affordable solar energy on a large scale in the province would significantly increase agricultural and industrial production, and that poverty in the province would also begin to end and, with it, the feeling of deprivation among the people of the province would end and their patriotism would be strengthened.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 10th, 2024.