Tando Jam

The High Efficiency irrigation System Demonstration Field was inaugurated on Friday at the Umerkot sub-campus of Sindh Agriculture University Tando Jam.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, Dr. Fateh Marri, Vice Chancellor, Sindh Agriculture University, said that organic agriculture is the most valuable thing in Thar after coal, and suggested that promoting arid agriculture in Thar will lead to modern sustainable agriculture as well as sustainable prosperity.

“The production of organic vegetables, fruits, medicinal plants, and cosmetics plants in Thar has a large market in domestic and international cities,” he said.

Dr. Fateh Marri said that despite the passage of more than 10 years, agriculture sector has not transformed and major agriculture development has not yet occurred. He added that 50 percent of the area of Sindh is covered by desert, mountains, and arid lands, so the practice of arid agriculture should be started in different areas including Thar, Karoonjhar, Kachho, Kohistan, Achhro Thar and Naro.

He said that the youth of Thar are talented; they will be provided with higher education facilities, while cattle farming can be restored in different areas including Naokot, Umerkot, and opportunities can be created for silent capital investment of the investors from Karachi.

Dr. Jan Muhammad Marri, Pro Vice Chancellor, SAU Sub Campus Umerkot said that the academic process will be started in the new sub-campus of the university within two months, in which new degree programs have also been launched for students. Thus, the University is starting travel facilities for students from various areas including Umerkot, Samaro, Kunri, Dhoro Naro, and Bachao band.

He said that the Sindh government, civil society and the philanthropists should come forward to start the work of immediate rehabilitation of agriculture in Thar through hydroponics, drip irrigation and modern technology. In this context, the university will provide the services through their experts.

Dr. Marri said that there is a need to promote tourism in Thar. “Thar should be made green, as well as the infrastructure should be improved, and prosperity will come to Thar through tourism and employment opportunities will be created.”

On the occasion Additional Sessions Judge Ghulam Mustafa Maitlo, Deputy Commissioner Umerkot Muhammad Bux Dhamrah, SSP Umerkot Usman Aijaz Bajwa, Dean Crop Production Faculty Dr. Inayatullah Rajpar, Dean Dr. Aijaz Ali Khooharo, Dean Dr. Syed Ghiyasuddin Shah Rashidi, Dean Dr. Manzoor Ali Abro, Registrar Ghulam Mohiyuddin Qureshi, Dr. Bachal Bhutto, Ahmed Khan Mangi, Manzoor Ali Lakhair, Riaz Soomro, Haji Khalid Siraj Soomro and others were also present.

Sufi singer Rafiq Faqir enthralled the guests by performing songs. Earlier the Vice-Chancellor praised the sub-campus teachers and officers for providing welfare services to the flood victims in Umerkot and other areas. Certificates were distributed while new buses for the students were inaugurated. (PR)

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Mithi

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Sunday constituted a committee to study ways and means to boost agriculture sector in Thar and give their recommendation for promoting organic fruit, vegetable and milk industry.

The committee, headed by his Advisor Agriculture Manzoor Wassan, would consist of experts of TandoJam Agriculture University and local agriculturists.

The chief minister took this decision in a meeting with growers and traders held to listen to their issues.

The growers said that in 24 union councils of Thar the groundwater was sweet and could be used for agriculture purposes. They said that they have made different experiments of growing onions, tomatoes, Brengle, lady fingers and other vegetables and fruits like lemon, oranges, guava and various others.

They suggested submersible pumps with a diameter of 1 to 2 inches to irrigate the lands. According to them this would turn out to be an agricultural revolution in Thar.

The chief minister directed Chairman P&D Hassan Naqvi to prepare a scheme of 500 submersible pumps for the people of Thar. “This scheme must be prepared at the earliest so that it could be approved and launched shortly,” he said and directed the agriculture department to send the scheme to the P&D.

Shah said that Thar has a great potential to grow organic vegetables, fruits and organic cows, camel and goat milk which has a vast and rich international market.

Survey of Thar lands

On the recommendation of the lawyers who called on him at DC House directed the Senior Member Board of Revenue to prepare a plan to survey the lands of Thar.

Murad Ali Shah taking notice of cutting of trees directed deputy commissioner Mithi to stop it and asked him to grow more trees, including fruit trees to increase the population of birds in the desert.

The CM said that Thar seemed to be a beautiful district with metal roads penetrating through sand dunes. “If trees are grown along the roads, they would not only add beauty to the overall view of the area but would develop a healthy environment,” he said.

Thar development portfolio 

Reviewing the development portfolio of Thar at Darbar hall of the DC office, Mithi, the chief minister directed the Energy and local government department to functionalize all the nonfunctional RO plants by resolving all the outstanding issues.

The meeting was attended by provincial ministers, Syed Nasir Shah, Imtiaz Shaikh, Syed Sardar Shah, Zia Abbas Shah, SMBR Shams Soomro, Chairman P&D Hassan Naqvi, secretary Local Government, Secretary Health, Secretary Culture, Secretary Public Health, Secretary school education and secretary college education, secretary irrigation and other concerned officers. The MNAs, MPAs, senators, special assistants to the CM from Thar also attended the meeting

Uplift schemes: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah reviewing development portfolio of Thar said that his government has launched 111 schemes for Rs5653.298 million against which Rs3315.187 million or 59 percent funds have been released, of them Rs2280.807 million or 69 percent funds have been utilized.

Shah said that apart from provincial ADP, 261 schemes have been launched under District ADP for Rs4172.473 million against which Rs755.804 million have been allocated and released and so far Rs552.717 million have been utilized.

The MNAs, MPAs and other elected people of Thar told the chief minister that some of the connecting roads needed repairs for which the CM directed the works department to undertake repair works.

He reviewed health, road sector, water, particularly rain-pond schemes, and education sector schemes and directed concerned departments to expedite completion of the on-going schemes in time.

Media Talk

Murad said that the performance of the federal government in respect of socio-political and economic stability is negligible, and they have spent their over three-year tenure in abusing, accusing, and blaming their opponents because right from the very first day they are suffering from insecurity and inefficiency.

This he said while talking to media just after performing flag off for Thar Jeep rally organized by Sindh Sports department at the desert, near Mithi. He was accompanied by Minister Energy Imtiaz Shaikh, Minister Local Government Nasir Shah and others.

Watch Video: Thar Jeep Rally 

The chief minister said that ever since the PTI has taken over the federal government the country has plunged into different crises such as wheat, sugar, POL, governance, and now urea. “These crises speak loud of the performance of the federal government,” he said.

Shah said that the growers have told him that due to the crisis of urea wheat has not been sown to such an extent as was being predicted. “We will have to take extraordinary measures and encouragement to grow wheat in the kutcha area so that next you Sindh may have bumper crops,” he said.

Talking about Jeep Rally organized by provincial Sports department, Shah said that racers from all over Pakistan have participated in it. “We have decided that in every winter three festivals, sports, cultural and musical events would be organized in Thar to boost its tourism-based economy,” he said. (PR)

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