KARACHI - Sindh Minister for Irrigation Jam Khan Shoro has said that the dictatorial mindset selected rulers have plunged the country into the political and
As parts of Pakistan ban water-guzzling paddy, one farmer has a solution
Both India and its western neighbour regularly forbid rice cultivation to conserve water and prevent land degradation. Representational image. | Mohsin Raza / Reuters
The season for sowing paddy is about to kick off in Sindh. But the province in southeast Pakistan has banned rice cultivation in 10 districts on the left bank of the Indus river.
This ban is announced every year at the end of April or early May to limit the waterlogging, salinity and drought-like conditions caused by successive rice farming. By some accounts, rice cultivation has been banned in these areas for over 90 years. Similarly, the Indian government bans paddy cultivation in “dark zones” to help water aquifers.
Low earnings and agricultural neglect push Pakistan into food insecurity eco-business.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from eco-business.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Qamar uz-ZamanUpdated 16 Dec, 2020 12:53pm
Life was not as hard two years ago as it is today for Tariq Mahmood, a 39-year-old taxi driver in Islamabad. He works seven days a week for 12 hours a day but rarely has more than a few hundred rupees left after feeding his family.
Mahmood said he has not felt this dejected by his dwindling finances in the past 14 years. For cab drivers like him the real culprit is not Covid-19, which shut down businesses, or the advent of ride-sharing services, which siphoned off customers, but spiralling food prices.
“I cannot afford the education of my child after paying for food for the family,” Mahmood told