HYDERABAD, April 18: The underground water in Pakistan is rapidly turning brackish, the flow of water in the rivers is progressively on the decrease and extensive use of fertilisers and poisonous pesticides is causing the soil to lose its fertility, says vice-chancellor of the Sindh Agriculture University Tandojam, Dr Basheer Ahmed Shaikh.

Mr Shaikh said in his inaugural speech at the three-day training course for growers on “onion cultivation and its preservation for a long period” on Thursday that if the country would face serious drought in the next ten years if the authorities concerned did not open their eyes.

He said that the government would have to announce a clear-cut agriculture policy based on latest technology and keeping in view the ever-increasing population and dwindling resources. Extensive use of fertilisers and poisonous pesticides had rendered the land unproductive, he said.

“If proper planning is not done and the agricultural policies are not based on the latest technology and agricultural methodology, the situation will worsen in near future,” Dr Shaikh cautioned.

He warned if the global village did not open its eyes now, the third world war would be fought on flour. By making optimum use of land and water resources, “we could save our future generations from death to starvation”, he said.

He called upon the government as well as the NGOs to educate the tillers of the land in the latest agricultural methodology and technology and suggested that the entire forest land should be given to livestock owners to keep the land green.

The director of the Agriculture Business Support Programme, Shah Mohammad, urged the farming community not only to concentrate on per acre yield but also learn to preserve and market their produce.

He pointed out that the commission agents earned more than the crop producers while the farming community had to suffer losses alone.

The pro-vice chancellor of the university, Nizamuddin Halepoto, said that the farmers were unable to do justice to their land not only for lack of training but also for ignorance of latest technological developments in the field of agriculture and quality of seed.

Director of the institute Dr Sagheer Ahmed Shaikh, director of SAWFCO Abdul Malik Soomro and Dr Mohammad Ismail Kumbhar also spoke on the occasion. The function was organised by the Institute of Food Sciences and Technologies.