Daily Times

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has directed agriculture department to hire few latest aircraft to spray locust swarms in desert areas of the province so that they could be killed before start of their breeding.

He also sought help from Chinese Consul General Mr Li Bijan who called on him here at CM House for hiring of aircrafts to spray locust in the desert area.

This he said while talking to Minister Agriculture Ismail Rahu here on Monday.

Shah said that the locust swarm attacks on standing crops in various parts of the province has caused serious loss to the framers in general and national and provincial economy in particular. “The growers are quite upset and their loss has also hurt him a lot,” he said.

The chief minister said that the plant protection department of the federal government has a few aircrafts, and most of them were grounded, therefore they could not provide necessary assistance to the provincial government.

He directed the minister agriculture to talk to UAE government and request them to provide aircraft to the Sindh government of Sindh for conducting aerial spray in the desert area where locust swarm have settled for breeding. “We have to kill them before their breeding, otherwise they cause irreparable loss next year,” he said.

The chief minister said that the provincial government would pay the rent of the aircrafts and provide them necessary material for spray.

The chief minister, talking to newly appointed Chinese Consul General in Karachi, requested him to talk to his government and provide Sindh government with support of latest aircrafts for spray in the desert area. The consul general assured the chief minister that he would talk to his government and would respond to him within next three days.

Shah also thanked the Chinese government for established a coal-fired power plant at Thar and also said that a Chinese company was working in Thar for coal mining. “China is our most trusted friend and the foundation of this friendship was laid by founder of PPP Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto,” he said.

The chief minister presented his memento, ajrak and Sindhi cap the new consul general and welcomed him in Sindh. He asked him to consider Sindh as his new home.