By GR Junejo

Mithi: Government of Sindh will provide 80 percent subsidy on the high-efficiency irrigation system to farmers across Sindh while bio-saline agriculture will be adopted as an official agriculture practice to combating the water scarcity problems in the province.

This was announced by Abdul Rahim Soomro, Secretary of Agriculture during a One Day Conference on Bio-saline Agriculture in Arid Areas of Sindh organized by the District Administration of Tharparkar, Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company, Agriculture Department, and other partners on Saturday.

The conference gathered government and private sector experts, academicians, farmer organizations, development sector organizations, and media to discuss the potential of bio-saline agriculture opportunities in combating water availability woes.

The conference unanimously passed recommendations for policy actions for the Government of Sindh to translate them into policy actions. The conference said saline water resources of Thar may be considered an opportunity and the experience of organizations like Thar Foundation may be utilized for furthering the practice across the region.

Salt tolerant plants should be introduced along with regular water quality monitoring and linkages between the public and private sector, academia, and farmers should be developed for experience sharing and introduction of the high-efficiency irrigation system. The establishment of nurseries and creating demand of bio-saline agriculture products by growing salt eating halophyte crops and fish farms on saline water should be practiced in all arid areas of Sindh, it was recommended.

Chairing the concluding session, Secretary Agriculture, Abdul Rahim Soomro said recommendations of the conference will be raised with Sindh Cabinet for translating policies into action programs for adopting bio-saline agriculture practice in Sindh.

He announced that it has been principally decided by Sindh government to provide an 80 percent subsidy to the farmers of Sindh. The decision will be formally approved by the Sindh Cabinet, he added.

He also announced that on the pattern of Pakistan Agriculture Research Council, Sindh Agriculture Research Council is being established to promote agriculture productivity in Sindh. A committee on Bio-saline Agriculture shall also be formed representing all the public and private sector stakeholders and academia and corporate and development sector organizations of Sindh.

The secretary agriculture also said that the provincial government wants to see Thar turn into a green region through bio-saline agriculture initiatives by adopting high efficiency irrigation techniques.

Deputy Commissioner Tharparkar, Muhammad Nawaz Soho in his welcome address said that the district administration would provide all-out support to promote bio-saline agriculture in the region to combat droughts.

Ahmed Munib, Director of Site Operations, Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company (SECMC) said that 80 billion cubic meters of bio-saline water is available in Tharparkar underneath the coal reserves. “SECMC has utilized the same water and produced high yield crops in last three years proving the concept that Thar has enormous potential of bio-saline agriculture.

Vice-Chancellor of Sindh Agriculture University Tando Jam, Dr. Fateh Muhammad Marri, Vice-Chancellor of NED University Karachi, Dr. Sarosh Lodhi, Bhai Khan Shar, Vice-Chancellor of the Shaheed Allah Bux University of Arts, Design and Heritage, Jamshoro, Dr. Bilques Gul, Director, Institute of Halophyte Utilization, University of Karachi, agriculturists, Mahmood Nawaz Shah, Nabi Bux Sathio, Mustafa Ujjan of SIAPEP, Dr. Abdul Razzak of Asuk University, Turkey, Sohail Awan of Human Development Foundation were among the prominent speakers, while Mohsin Babbar of Thar Foundation moderated the conference proceedings.

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FAO Country Representative Ms. Rebekah Olivia Bell visits Bio-saline Agriculture and Bio-saline Fisheries pilot projects being carried out by Thar Foundation and SECMC

By GR Junejo

Islamkot, Tharparkar: The Bio-saline Agriculture Models should benefit local communities in terms of livelihood betterments and develop linkages with the private sector, United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization’s Country Representative in Pakistan, Ms. Rebekah Olivia Bell said during her visit to Tharparkar.

Heading the FAO delegation, she witnessed Bio-saline Agriculture and Bio-saline Fisheries pilot projects being carried out by Thar Foundation and Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company (SECMC) in Thar Coal Block II and Gorano area.

The FAO delegation included FAO senior officials Ashraf Ali, Amir Sultan, Ghulam Qadir Mangrio, Shariq Aziz, and Aamer Irshad.

The delegation was briefed on Apple Ber Orchards, Sindh’s largest private-sector saplings nursery, Thar Million Tree initiative, Green Park, and Gorano Pond where organic fisheries are being practiced. The delegation was also served cooked organic Gorano fish which has been declared fit for human consumption by a leading laboratory of Pakistan.

The delegation was told that the Bio-saline agriculture pilots were being carried out in collaboration with Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC), Livestock and Fisheries Department, Government of Sindh and Sindh Agriculture University Tando Jam, and Institute of Sustainable Halophyte Utilization, University of Karachi.

It was further told that Thar has great potential for Bio-saline agriculture and fisheries, as 80 billion cubic meters of water with 5000-6000 TDS is available at the 3rd aquifer beneath the soil, which can be pumped out to water nutritive crops for human and livestock population.

Ms. Rebekah Olivia applauded the initiatives and thanked them for showing the initiatives and explaining ambitious models. “The work carried out is critical to the success of this area,” she commented.

She said, FAO provides technical assistance to the provincial and federal governments of Pakistan and has established its offices in Sindh to work closer in the areas of mutual interest.

Briefing the delegation about different initiatives, Thar Foundation and SECMC CEO, Syed Abul Fazal Rizvi said the all the community development initiatives undertaken by them have been linked with UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“We would like to aim at making Islamkot Taluka UN-SDG compliant by the year 2025,” said Rizvi. And for this purpose, he added that a comprehensive house-to-house survey has been carried out by Thar Foundation in consultation with UN-SDG Cell P&D Department and UNDP.

He said they have received successful outcomes under pilot projects of Bio-saline Agriculture and fisheries in Thar Desert, which needs to be scaled up with the support of Government of Sindh and technical expert support from organizations like FAO.

“We have planted 850,000 trees under Thar Million Tree Program and have also cultivated vegetables, fruits, moringa, multiple species of fodder like Rhodes Grass, Corn, and Jantar,” he added.

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