HYDERABAD (August 26 2006): Sindh Agriculture department is launching a project costing Rs 100 million this year for providing agricultural implements, including sprayers at 50 percent subsidy to growers of the province to protect crops and increase productivity.

This was informed by the Additional Secretary Agriculture Dr Noorul Haque at one-day workshop on Mealy Bug Management, jointly organised by Directorate Generals of Agriculture Extension and Agriculture Research held at the Sindhi Language Authority auditorium here on Thursday. He said that the sprayers to be supplied would greatly enable growers to timely combat insect pests like mealy bug thus saving valuable crops, including cotton.

Sindh Abadgar Board President, Abdul Majeed Nizamani, who presided over the workshop, while speaking on the occasion raised the issue of inappropriate of agriculture produce and lack of proper marketing facilities. He called for eliminating the role of middlemen, who were fleecing growers of their profits.

Nizamani underlined the need for providing more funds for strengthening research and promoting cultivation of sugarcane rather than promoting more sugar mills. He lamented that despite floods and rains the canal rotation was continuing.

Punjab Pest Warning and Quality Control Director General, Dr Aijaz Pervez said the Punjab Agriculture Department was working on various measures to manage mealy bug, conducting research on its different aspects and launching a project in this respect.

He said Punjab Agriculture Department would fully co-operate with the Sindh Agriculture Department in controlling of mealy bug menace. Sindh Agriculture Extension Director General Naeem Ahmed Korejo said that cotton crop this year had been sown on 573,870 hectares against the target of 640,000 hectares due to late arrival and shortage of the water at sowing stages.

The rains had also affected the cotton crop and estimation of such losses in this respect was being ascertained, he added. He said that a massive campaign to combat mealy bug attack on cotton was launched on the directives of Sindh Chief Minister, Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim.

The department has succeeded in mobilising growers in time and controlling the menace to a great extent, he added. He said that on the recommendations of the workshop, the department would also organise the seminars at district level to prepare the field staff and farmers to combat the mealy bug menace on other crops and next year's cotton crop.

DG Agriculture Research Hidayatullah Chhajro informed the audience about the research trials being carried out on mealy bug control and future strategies.

Anwar Bachani of Sindh Chamber of Agriculture also spoke on the occasion A video documentary on mealy bug control prepared by Directorate of Agriculture Information was also shown to the participants.

Later, comprehensive presentations on the mealy bug management were made by Dr Abdul Sattar Buriro, Entomologist, ARI Tandojam, Dr Ghulam Mustafa, Director Entomology Research Institute Faisalabad, Dr Riaz Mehmood, Insect Bio-control Specialist CABI Biosciences Rawalpindi and M Iqbal Arif of Central Cotton Research Institute Multan and recommendations were finalised.