Introduction of solar tube-wells in the offing

Provincial Minister for Food, Choudary Abdul Ghafoor has said that Punjab government would soon introduce solar tube wells for bringing radical changes in the agriculture sector of Punjab. Addressing a news conference, here on Friday afternoon.
Abdul Ghafoor said that due to the energy crisis, agriculture sector is suffering adversely because of shortage of sufficient water for irrigation and introduction of solar tube-wells would facilitate growers' community of the province.
He further said that Punjab Chief Minister has visited several countries including China to address energy crisis issue and signed many agreements in this regard. He said that agriculture is the backbone of national economy and said government is preparing a special strategy for tracking it on in Punjab. The concept of the plan is to promote agriculture sector for producing sufficient wheat, rice and vegetables in the province. Under the strategy, special attention would be accorded on resolving the problems confronted the farmers' particularly small growers, he added.
The minister apprised that development work on Sialkot-Lahore Motorway would be undertaken in near future and that completion of this mega project would open new vistas of development and prosperity. He said that government has also accorded special attention on the availability of oil and fertilisers to facilitate growers, adding that price control committees across Punjab would be activated for checking the menace of price hike and mal-practices committed by shopkeepers.
About the wheat purchasing campaign, Abdul Ghafoor said that federal government has allocated a quota of 35 lakh (0.35 million) tons of wheat but Punjab government would try to purchase 40 lakh (0.40 million) tons of wheat while 6.50 lakh tons of the commodity has already been purchased. On this occasion, he urged upon the media to highlight the soft image of Pakistan for defusing misconceptions developed in foreign countries. At this critical juncture, making collective efforts has become imperative for bringing out the country out of the multifarious problems and it is time that we demonstrate unity to cope with the menace of terrorism and foil the anti-Pakistan conspiracies, he said.