Sindh Plans to Allocate 52,000 Acres of State Land for Corporate Farming
Published on: December 6, 2023.
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The caretaker Sindh government has recently approved the allocation and lease of over 52,000 acres of state land for corporate agriculture farming, according to official documents. This development comes as part of a project undertaken by the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), a civil-military body established in June with the aim of attracting foreign investments to the country.
The approval to allot the land was given in a meeting held last week, where the interim Sindh government granted final authorization for the allocation of 52,713 acres of state land. These acres will be distributed across various districts, with 28,000 acres in Khairpur, 10,000 acres in Mithi, 9,305 acres in Dadu, 3,408 acres in Sujawal, 1,000 acres in Thatta, and 1,000 acres in Badin.
This initiative is aimed at promoting corporate agriculture farming in the province by leasing out state land through an open auction. The move is intended to facilitate agriculture research, farming, import substitution, and livestock research, among other related activities. The terms and conditions governing the lease of land have been notified by the Sindh government in accordance with the Colonization of Government Lands Act 1912.
Under these conditions, the lessee, whether an individual or an entity, will be granted a lease for 20 years. In return, the Sindh government will be entitled to 33% of the profits generated from the project. Private companies can participate in the open auction, while federal and provincial government departments are prohibited from doing so.
The chief secretary of Sindh had previously directed the provincial Land Utilization Department and the Board of Revenue to assess the availability of sufficient state land for corporate agriculture farming. The documents also suggest that the land in question may be leased to a private company run by the Pakistan military, in accordance with a joint venture agreement between the Land Utilization Department and Green Corporate Initiative Pvt Ltd.
However, concerns have been raised by the Awami Tehreek, a political party based in Sindh, regarding the lease of state land to law enforcement agencies. They argue that this decision is illegal and advocate for the land to be allocated to poor farmers instead.
It is worth mentioning that a similar corporate farming project has been initiated by the Pakistan army in Punjab. In this case, the military has requested up to one million acres of state land, with a proposed 50-50 profit-sharing mechanism with the government of Punjab. The transfer of land for this project was previously suspended by the Lahore High Court due to constitutional concerns, but it was later allowed by another bench of the same court.
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Source: Geo News
