ISLAMABAD: The government needs to allocate more funds for ensuring availability of certified seed of various crops as provision of quality seed to farmers was mandatory for achieving high growth in the agriculture sector.
“We need to improve our research institutions for ensuring provision of quality seeds to farmers in the country,” said Farrukh Ansari, a consultant, while presenting the initial draft of sub-committee of the special committee on agriculture’s proposed report on agriculture growth strategy to sub-committee meeting.
The meeting was presided over by convener MNA Shandana Gulzar Khan, Dr Aisha Ghaus Pasha, and Malik Muhammad Ehsan Ullah Tawana. He further said that provision of quality pesticides and fertilizers to farmers was also necessary for enhancement of productivity of various crops.
“If we succeeded in provision of quality seed, pesticides and fertilizers then it would be a game changer” he said. He further said that an effective mechanism should be developed to ensure provision of subsidy to small farmers. So far, we could not succeed to empower the small farmers and disburse subsidy among them.
Ansari said that 50 percent in the report we have focused on the development of livestock and horticulture sector in the country as livestock production makes a major contribution to agriculture value-added services. Both federal and provincial governments need to focus on improvement of livestock and horticulture sector, he said.
He further said that main major crops like wheat, sugarcane, cotton, we need to properly handle horticulture sector. The report also highlighted the importance of establishment of silos for grain storage, cold storage facility for horticultural commodities, he said.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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