Agri emergency plan due next week: CM

The wheat price, which witnessed a decline during the last two harvest seasons before shooting up again recently to exorbitant proportions, is likely to secure a stable government backed procurement price.

The Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah told the media during his visits to Guddu and Sukkur barrages on Sunday that his government is going to announce an agriculture emergency plan next week.

"[It will be] focused on food security and supporting wheat cultivation," the CM disclosed. "We are working on the plan and will announce it for the wheat growers so that wheat cultivation can be improved."

Following the heavy rains in the 2022 monsoon season, which destroyed crops and displaced millions of people, the Sindh government had doubled the wheat procurement price to Rs4,000 per mound from the then prevailing rate of Rs2,000. The rate was offered to farmers during two harvest seasons but later, to the utter dismay of the agrarian community, the government left the price to the open market.

The CM acknowledged that the situation paved the way for bringing down the province's wheat output to 3.1 million tons from 4.2 million tons. However, he reassured the people that his government's wheat stocks are sufficient to last till March, 2026, despite a sharp cut in the production.

Flood

The CM said a high flood of between 650,000 cusecs to 700,000 cusecs will pass through the Sukkur barrage towards Kotri barrage before culminating in the sea in the next few days. The Guddu barrage is expected to attain the peak flows by Monday.

He recalled that the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) had conveyed to the provincial government to prepare for a super flood of up to 1.1 million cusecs. However, the developing situation shows a much lower quantum of the deluge in the Indus River.

Shah expressed confidence over sturdiness of the river dykes to sustain the ongoing torrent. He reiterated his political party's demand from the federal government to support the flood and rain victims from the platform of the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP). The CM also advised the center to call for the UN and global assistance to help cope with the flood caused devastation because Pakistan has become a victim of climate change.

The Sindh Irrigation Minister Jam Khan Shoro, Secretary Irrigation Zareef Iqbal Khehro and chief engineer Guddu barrage briefed the CM. They told that the Torhi and KK levees are the most sensitive river fences of Guddu barrage and that emergency measures were being taken to reinforce the KK dyke.

The chief engineer briefed that 65 barrage gates and 25 canal gates existed in Guddu. Among those 30 barrage gates and all of the canal gates have been replaced so far. He claimed that the rehabilitation of the spurs, studs, guide banks and marginal banks at the barrage has also been completed and the embankment's height has been raised by six to 10 feet.