How much do you know about Sargodha?
Located in the center of Punjab, the city of Eagles, Sargodha, is not only known for having the largest airbase, but also for the most spectacular production of citrus fruits, mainly called Kinnow (mandarin orange).
Due to the staggering production of Kinnow, Sargodha was also given the moniker of “the California of Pakistan”, partly due to the fact that the breed of Kinnow itself was first cultured and grown within California.
While earning an export revenue of around $200 million yearly by exporting fruit, the Kinnow serves as the linchpin for not only the citrus production but also for the overall production of fruits in Pakistan.
However, recently there has been a substantial diminution in the quality of Kinnow production, which has opened the door for PFVA to go for a self-imposed ban on the export of Kinnow to Europe.
Kinnow which was once the cornerstone of fruit production is now its Achilles’ heel.
There are many problems associated with crop production and technological awarenesses which needs to be addressed.
The most critical problem being faced by know growers is the dried-up canals through which most of this crop is irrigated.
The local sources claim that they have sent several reminders to the concerned authorities to settle the issue but have received from them no substantial reply.
The water crisis in Sargodha is getting worse with each passing day. Where the canals have dried up, the groundwater has also become toxic and bitter.
Groundwater levels have also dropped and people have been forced to stop using it because it has become bitter and toxic.
High levels of salinity and toxicity damage boring pipelines, preventing people from using groundwater.
Lack of clean water and dried-up canals have left locals in despair.
Residents of the area say they are deprived of this basic resource despite claiming an annual budget of crores of rupees for the crisis.
The quality of groundwater has deteriorated to such an extent that it cannot be used for bathing, washing clothes, or washing dishes.
Our greatest plight and arguably the chink in the armor of our citrus production is the incompetency of these citrus institutes that have been set up in Pakistan.
There is one institute present in Sargodha, geared specifically to the research for more feasible varieties of citrus fruits but they have produced nothing substantial in the past five years.
There is also the Citrus Research Institute, Sargodha but they too had skimped when it came to contributing actual research.
We head north towards Islamabad at NARC, the National Agricultural Research Center for Pakistan, and here as well it’s a similar fairytale – these institutes are sleeping over vast research that could bring massive fortunes to Pakistan, but these research centers have contributed only a minute margin perhaps.
It is the fault of the government that has led these institutes to do as they please without contributing anything to the citrus production. It is urged that the government should take notice of this situation.
