Punjab, Sindh face cut in irri water for Kharif

Majid Nizamani, a representative of growers in Sindh, said the actual water shortage could exceed the current estimate of around 30pc in the coming rabi season. He said the production of major crops like wheat and sugarcane could decline due to the shortage of water. Nizamani said the last week the federal govt has increased the support price of wheat from Rs625/40kg to Rs950/40kg with the aim to achieve autarky in its production. But the shortage of water could prove a blow to the govt and the growers ambition of achieving self-reliance in the output of the commodity next year.

Hamid Malhi, who represents the growers in Punjab province, said the production of wheat in the province would suffer badly because of less than required availability of water. He said the Punjab province produces 16 million tons or 80pc of the total wheat production in the country and the govt should make efforts to increase water supply to the province to enhance wheat’s yield.