Wheat shortfall and rapid population growth: Timely steps needed to address issues: NA speaker

LAHORE: Speaker National Assembly of Pakistan Asad Qaiser has said that the rapid population growth and the recent shortfalls in the supply of wheat call for timely measures to address them. In this regard a parliamentary committee has been formed which will focus on the much-needed agricultural research, devise mechanisms to increase the crop productivity of farmers, formulate ways to disburse subsidy and extend loans on easy terms to the farmers to ensure their prosperity."

He was speaking at a recently hosted one of the largest advisory sessions in Swabi in the province of Khyber PakhtunKhuwa (KPK) by Sarsabz Fertilizer, inviting up to 400 progressive farmers from the areas of Swabi and Mardan, to learn about technical advisory information on how to maximize crop yield of wheat during the upcoming Rabi season.

This event was part of Sarsabz's Salam Kissan, Sarsabz Pakistan initiative under the wheat campaign 2020, aimed at supporting the Pakistani farmers towards progress and prosperity. Speaker National Assembly also appreciated Sarsabz Fertilizer for playing a consistent role in enhancing the Country's wheat production capability to increase national food security.

The event was also graced by Special Assistant for Industries to Chief Minister KPK, Abdul Karim Khan, Director General Agriculture Extension KPK, Abid Kamal, Director General Agriculture Research KPK, Dr Masood Jan, Chief National Fertilizer Development Center Islamabad, Abdul Jalil Marwat, as well as other notable opinion makers from the agriculture sector.

Speaking about the event, Khurram Javed Maqbool, Director Marketing at Fatima Group said, "The Pakistani soil is deficient in plant nutrients, calcareous and alkaline in nature, but with smart agri-practices, these challenges can be overcome efficiently and crop yield from limited lands can be effectively increased. For this purpose, successful field trials have been carried out at University of Agriculture in Faisalabad in the past, and it is now a proven fact that a combination of Sarsabz Calcium Ammonium Nitrate (CAN) and Nitrophos (NP) is the most effective approach to increasing crop yield of wheat by up to 10 percent."

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020