HYDERABAD (March 08 2009): Sindh Minister for Agriculture Syed Ali Nawaz Shah has said the government has already suspended the recoveries of government revenue taxes and was actively considering giving total remission to the growers of the districts of Sindh, where they sustained losses to their paddy crops due to heavy rain during monsoon season last year.

This he informed while addressing Sindh Zaraee Conference organised by Sindh Abadgar Board here at Dr N. A. Baloch Auditorium Sindhi Language Authority. The minister said the government was implementing multidimensional strategy and had planned to provide tractors on 50 percent subsidy rates and introduce the Drip Irrigation System in the agriculture farms by providing 80 percent subsidy to the growers.

He said that effective marketing of agro-production was playing vital role in the development of agriculture sector and prosperity of the growers, adding that keeping in view the complaints of growers, the government had established Benazir Bhutto Paddy Procuring Centres in eight districts.

He said strict vigilance was being made on black marketing of Urea fertiliser and the officers assigned the task were imposing fine on the defaulters, besides government had also facilitated the growers for the supply of Urea fertiliser through its own windows. He said establishment of agriculture export zones in the province was being considered to export the qualitative agro production including chillies, fruit, etc.

Later, talking with the newsmen, the minister said that this year "we would have bumper crop of wheat and hopefully we will surpass the fixed target of 1.6 million ton of wheat production." While referring a question about the illegal occupation on the land of Qasimabad Subzi Mandi, the minister said the matter was pending in the court and late it to decide. He said the government got the sugarcane crashing started as per its season