Farmers can get substantial income from agriculture: Abida

Farmers can get substantial income from agriculture if they transform themselves as modern and productive farmers and their women keep themselves busy by establishing their own businesses relating to agriculture like poultry and cattle farming and adding value in their raw produces.
This was stated by former ambassador to USA, federal minister and veteran productive farmer Syeda Abida Hussain while addressing the participants of rural women conference as chief guest here at Iqbal Auditorium. Syed Abida Hussain said that in spite of the fact that today mean age at marriage had been raised but a family was nourishing more than 6 children which multiplied a huge burden on the resources of the country.
She was of the view that in Cholistan and Bhawalpur, a family with 5 women used to take care of more than 12 goats but today poverty got roots because of their lack of interest in cattle farming. Abida disclosed that California state of USA is the major contributor to US economy has not more area than the Punjab but their agricultural exports touch the heights of $22 billion against the total Pakistani exports of $15 billion.
She urged the women farmers to contribute substantially by establishing their own business and capitalise their capabilities in flourishing their domestic enterprises. UAF Vice Chancellor, Professor Iqrar Ahmad Khan said that rural life could only revolutionise by adopting the agriculture as business rather than taking it for subsistence. He dispelled the misperceptions that UAF scientists keep them away from rural farmers and remain busy in their laboratories, and said that during the last one year, UAF organised various Farmers Conventions, Agriculture.
Exhibitions and Horse and Cattle Shows by inviting thousands of farmers enabling them to witness the first hand experiences of modern agriculture here at UAF. Dr Iqrar told the gathering that UAF was on the way to introduce master degrees in entrepreneurship and rural development to equip the masses with new business tools.
He said that UAF was planning to establish a technology park at its campus to market its indigenous technologies to all its stakeholders. Chairman Lok Sangh Foundation Dr Shahid Zia disclosed that his foundation evolved his mission from some villages and today thousands of people particularly rural women registered themselves with the foundation.
Portraying the future trends in agriculture, Dr Shahid Zia said that climate change, energy crises, water issues, marketing and global recession will dictate the future agriculture so there is need to formulate and bring workable reforms in our agricultural policies comprising agricultural marketing and corporate farming.
Referring to a book of UNDP "end of poverty", he said that in decade of nineties the poverty raised manifold but this is the time to eradicate it by introducing new agricultural business of value addition at rural level. Dr Zia told that Vietnam got the benefits of its development by promoting their small business of agricultural sector.
He offered to establish technology transfer units at 200 villages of the province where technologies introduced by UAF scientists will be marketed. Executive Director Lok Sangh Foundation Dr Farana Shahid, Dr Qamar Bilal, Dr Muhammad Aqil Khan, Dr Qamar Muhyuddin, Dr Jawad and Madam Farah also spoke on the occasion. Later the chief guest visited the agri exhibition.