STAFF REPORT LHR: The degrading irrigation system in Punjab is responsible for most of the problems faced by farmers, speakers at a conference said at a conference recently held in Lahore.


On the occasion, a policy draft on irrigation was presented at the event organised by the Indus Consortium in collaboration with OxfamNovib.


Jamshaid Fareed, the Indus Consortium executive council member, said that all stakeholders from the Punjab and Sindh, including water experts, farmers, academicians, government officials, media and civil society members should be consulted to resolve water issues.


Two short documentaries were also screened at the event. They highlighted the plight of tail-end farmers in southern Punjab and Sindh.


Iqbal Haider, the Indus Consortium Executive Director, spoke on the Improving Water Governance (IWG) project. “Pakistans agriculture and economy have tremendous growth potential. Self-sufficiency in the agriculture sector can only be achieved by framing farmer-friendly policies. The goal of national development can only be achieved by taking concrete steps to improve the agriculture sector,” he said.


Manzoor Hussain, the Muzaffargarh District Tail-End Farmers Association President, said that water availability had not improved over the years.

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