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Interim Sindh Revenue Minister Younus Dhaga on Friday announced the caretakers have inked a government-to-government joint venture agreement between the provincial government and an Army-backed company to provide 52,000 acres of land in six districts for corporate farming.
“After a successful pilot corporate agriculture farming project in Punjab, a government-to-government (G2G) Joint Venture Agreement was signed at Chief Minister House between the Sindh government and M/S Green Corporate Initiative (Private) Limited, a company under the umbrella of the Pakistan Army for corporate agriculture farming initiative for cultivating available barren land in all the provinces of the country,” read a press release issued by the C.M. House.
It said the initiative was part of projects launched the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC)’s umbrella. According to the agreement, 52,713 acres of “barren” land—28,000 acres in Khairpur; 10,000 in Tharparkar; 9,305 acres in Dadu; 1,000 in Thatta; 3,408 in Sujawal; and 1,000 in Badin—would be provided to the company for 20 years to execute the ‘Green Pakistan Initiative.’ Earlier, Pakistan Army chief Gen. Asim Munir had hailed the Green Pakistan Initiative as a means to modernize agricultural practices by bringing the concept of corporate farming in the country.
“The barren land shall be handed over for 20 years after survey, demarcation and verification that such land is not located in prohibited areas, not under any pending litigations or court orders and also not included in any barrage land grants,” read the press release, adding a board of management led by the Sindh chief secretary would take all decisions regarding land management and issues.
Dhaga told the press conference the land would be provided solely for cultivation purposes. “The ownership of land shall vest with the Sindh government. No local rights will be affected by the projects and no water rights of the local population shall be affected. The companies have to arrange for water resources through alternative modes rather than relying solely on irrigation channels,” he said.
He further said land falling within the limit of any villages, katchi abadi, locality, temporary shelters, grazing land, seasonal cultivation, range, any settlement, amenity, potential mining areas, already reserved land for any public purpose, motorways, superhighways, national highways, roads, jails, railway lines, irrigation channels, wildlife sanctuaries, national parks, mountain ranges, heritage sites, religious sites, graveyards, forest land, including mangroves habitats and protected forests, wastelands, wetlands, ‘dhoras’/depressions, sea creeks, river deltas, inland waters, internal waters, historical waterways, vital security installations, port and seashore would not be considered for the initiative.
According to the agreement, the company would spend 20 percent of its net profit on research and development in surrounding areas, while 40 percent would be paid to the Sindh government on an annual basis. The remaining 40 percent would have to be spent on local infrastructures, irrigation channels, solar-powered water supply schemes, schools, hospitals, development schemes and other facilities in areas where such projects will be executed in Sindh.