Federal Minister for Food and Agriculture Sardar Yar Mohammad Rind has said there is a strong need to adopt technologies that use water judiciously and for this creation of awareness is pre-requisite.
While speaking at the inaugural session of D-8 Countries Seminar on Water Conservation and Drip Irrigation here on Monday the minister said, "I feel that there is need of a campaign to elicit support of all stakeholders. Beside this, extension services must be expanded and strengthened to disseminate the use of water in accordance with new and modern technologies to the farming community."
He said: "The government is fully cognisant of the shortage of water and the importance of its judicious application and President General Pervez Musharraf has given directives to explore avenues of new dams and to carry out de-siltation operations of the existing irrigation system.
Funds have been made available for renovation and lining of the distributaries and watercourses to make optimum use of water and to reduce in the irrigation network, he added.
Besides this, he said, "the government has introduced latest technologies of land levelling by laser application. Drip irrigation as well as sprinkler irrigation is being adopted with the co-operation and collaboration of industry."
"This requires heavy outlays," the minister said, adding, "the farmers whose affordability is at the lowest ebb, need subsidies to popularise these technologies, especially in areas where water resources are dwindling and depleting day by day."
ACUTE SHORTAGE: The minister said: "Water is essential for social and economic development of human civilisation and most of the countries, including Pakistan, face the acute shortage of water."
Sardar Rind said the population explosion, the increase in requirements of food security, the water needs of sprawling industries and, multiplying human consumption will have need of more water by every day that passes by.
"Agriculture consumes the major share of water as Pakistan belongs to arid and semi-arid region, it is faced with frequent droughts and experts opine that there will be less rains during the coming years, he said, adding, "on the other hand, 40 to 50 percent water is lost due to our conventional patterns of irrigation."
"Since water quantity is fixed, we shall have to explore other avenues to reduce loss of water and to achieve maximum of production," he added.
Earlier in his welcome address, secretary Ministry of Food and Agriculture said: "Water is basic need of agriculture so that we should find ways and means to its judicious use".
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