HYDERABAD, May 18: The Sindh Chamber of Agriculture has said that Pakistan People’s Party has come to power mainly with the votes of farming community but the government is neglecting the agriculture sector and the growers.

It said that due to indifferent attitude of successive governments, the agriculture-based economy of Sindh had reached the precipice and was at the verge of collapse.

The observations were made at a meeting of the chamber held here on Sunday under the chairmanship of Syed Qamaruzzaman Shah.

It expressing concern over the acute shortage of water in the Kotri Barrage canals, particularly Rohri canal, and called upon the Sindh government to ensure availability of water in the channels and waterways for cultivation of cotton and rice crops.

It observed that release of water into Kotri barrage canals and Rohri Canal was essential to help the growers, who had already suffered tremendous losses due to water shortage, save cotton and rice crops.

The meeting accused a particular province of stealing Sindh’s water share and demanded an inquiry into it.

It expressed concern over the inordinate increase in the prices of fertilisers and called upon the government to emulate the previous government and provide subsidy to the growers on fertilisers.

It condemned non-payment of government-fixed price of sugarcane to the growers by the sugar mills and demanded that the government must make the mill owners to clear outstanding dues of the growers.

Those who attended the meeting included, Mir Murad Ali Talpur, Akhund Ghulam Mohammad Siddiqui, Anwar Bachani, Mir Zafarullah Talpur, Mohammad Khan Sarejo and others.

JOIN PPP: Over 200 people of UC-3 Latifabad joined PPP here on Sunday. The announcement to this effect was made by Sardar Atta Baloch, general secretary of PPP, PS-48 at a press conference at the press club here on Sunday.

A large number of new entrants were present at the press conference.

Zeeshan Gullo, Aqeel Ahmed, Humayoon Ahmed and others said that in the February 18 general elections, they had voted for the PPP candidates but were formally joining the party as they had full confidence in the leadership of Asif Ali Zardari, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Syed Qaim Ali Shah and the local leadership of the party.

They said that Bhutto family had rendered unparalleled sacrifices for the betterment of the downtrodden.

They said that they believed in the slogan of Roti, Kapra aur Makaan and added that they were prepared to sacrifice their lives for PPP.