RECORDER REPORT

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that he was working hard to completely mechanize agriculture to increase farm productivity in the province, therefore necessary technical support would be taken from Uzbekistan and Belarus.

This he said on Tuesday while talking to the ambassador of Uzbekistan and Belarus Andrei Ermolovich who called on him individually here at the CM House.

Talking to the Ambassador of Uzbekistan Furqat Sidiqov said that Sindh is one of the largest cotton growing province of Sindh. “I want to introduce latest techniques of sowing and picking cotton so that best yield and quality picking could be ensured,” he said. The Ambassador of Uzbekistan offered the chief minister to establish a technical institute in Sindh which would offer specialized graduation and post-graduation degrees in the agriculture. He also offered to install a special plant to manufacture agriculture machinery.

The chief minister said that an Uzbekistan Agriculture Institute could be established at Tando Jam Agriculture University where they could also install a factory to produce agriculture machinery.

The chief minister directed Agriculture Minister Ismail Rahu to coordinate with Uzbekistan Embassy for making necessary documentation and agreements for establishment of agriculture institute and installation of agricultural equipments manufacturing facility.

The chief minister congratulated Uzbek envoy on starting of direct airline from Lahore to Uzbekistan and launching Uzbekistan-Pakistan Economic Forum. The visiting envoy told the chief minister that from March 2019 a direct flight from Karachi would also be started. The chief minister said that this connectivity would further strengthen people to people contact and improve trade and commerce between the two Muslim brother countries.

The chief minister in another meeting with Ambassador of Belarus Andrei Ermolovich discussed mechanized of agriculture in Sindh. The ambassador said that they designed special thrashers with dual facility of thrashing wheat and rice in the same machine. “These thrashers are affordable and their spare parts were easily available,” he told the chief minister.

The chief minister urged the ambassador to send samples of the thrashers and other agricultural machinery for demonstrations so that they could be introduced here through the agriculture chambers.

The chief minister directed agriculture department to coordinate with Belarus embassy for import of samples.

The chief minister also met with Ambassador of Nepal Sewa Lamsal Adhikari here at the Cm House and discussed the bilateral issues and matters of mutual interest.