Rs8b allocated for agri sector development: CM

Orders authorities to incentivise farmers to grow more wheat

KARACHI:

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has announced that his government has allocated Rs8 billion in the budget for the development of agriculture sector through Benazir Hari Card.

"Rabi season is starting; therefore, the growers be incentivised so that they could grow wheat as a bumper crop apart from other Rabi crops," Murad said at a meeting he presided at the CM House on Tuesday.

The CM said that allocation of Rs8 billion is meant to support growers, particularly the small ones, to revitalise the agriculture sector and introduce new crops and reduce reliance on imported agricultural products," he said.

The CM decided that the agriculture department would guide the growers to grow those crops which could be exported. "We are exporting rice and mostly import pulses," he said adding that pulses have a vast market domestically and even for exports.

He directed the agriculture department to analyse the market for crops, especially those, produce of which is imported by the federal government, to advise local farmers to grow these crops instead.

The meeting decided that the agriculture workshop of the Agriculture Department would be activated to provide agricultural machinery to the growers for land levelling, harvesting and other works. "We have to help growers to make their lands more fertile and adopt the methods of appropriate use of water," he said. Murad also directed the agriculture department to prepare a scheme to provide agricultural machinery to the growers in easy instalments. "Our growers must avail agricultural loans the banks are offering under different schemes," he said.

The meeting was attended by Minister P&D Nasir Shah, Minister Agriculture Mohammad Bux Mahar, Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, Chairman P&D Najam Shah, Secretary Agriculture Rafiq Buriro, Secretary Finance Fayaz Jatoi and Secretary to CM Raheem Shaikh.