HYDERABAD: The monthly meeting of the Sindh Abadgar Ittehad (SAI) was held at its central office in Hyderabad under the chairmanship of Nawab Zubair Ahmed Talpur, where growers voiced concern over water scarcity, electricity outages, cotton prices and agricultural taxation.
The meeting strongly condemned India’s reported plans and threats to stop Pakistan’s water, stating that international law does not permit any country to block another state’s share of water.
The participants demanded that the Hyderabad Electric Supply Company immediately end unannounced loadshedding for agricultural tube-wells and lift pump feeders, saying prolonged outages were severely affecting standing crops.
The growers blamed the Sindh Irrigation Department for what they termed an artificial water shortage in the province, alleging that irrigation officials were involved in the illegal sale of irrigation water.
Expressing concern over the sharp decline in cotton seed prices, the farmers said the rate had fallen from around Rs10,000 to Rs7,000 per 40 kilograms despite rising production costs. They demanded that the minimum support price of cotton seed be fixed at Rs12,000 per 40kg.
They also criticized the practice of weighing 40kg of seed cotton as 42kg, alleging that growers were being exploited by traders and ginning factories through unfair deductions. The meeting also rejected the proposed 45 percent agricultural income tax, demanding that it be maintained at 15 percent.
The participants urged the authorities to stop diverting water from the Phuleli Canal to the Akram Wah, claiming the move was depriving farmers of their rightful share of irrigation water. The meeting further called on the federal government to reopen the borders with Afghanistan and Iran to resume agricultural exports.
The meeting was attended by Mir Sobdar Talpur, Haji Mohib Ali Mari, Abdul Rahim Dars, Mian Shadab, Jalaluddin Abbasi, Javed Riyar, Anwar Kamboh, Sharif Nizamani, Jahan Khan Laghari and Raja Haider Ali. Jalaluddin Abbasi was welcomed into the organization and appointed as senior vice president of the Sindh Abadgar Ittehad.
