Minister for replacing old agri methods with mechanized farming

LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Industries and Commerce SM Tanvir has said that there is a need to change the agriculture sector from traditional methods of farming to modern mechanized farming to increase the per acre yield of major crops.

For the solution, the public-private sector has to work together to improve the agricultural value chain for enhancing agricultural exports.

He was presiding over the third meeting of the Agriculture Task Force at New Minister Block, Civil Secretariat, Lahore on Monday.

The meeting was attended by Secretary Agriculture Punjab Iftikhar Ali Sahoo, Special Secretary Agriculture Marketing Punjab Syeda Kulsoom Hai, Additional Secretary Agriculture Task Force Punjab Muhammad Shabir Ahmad Khan, Member Planning Agriculture Javed Aslam, Director General Agriculture Extension Dr Muhammad Anjum Ali, Director General Pest Warning and Quality Control of Pest Sides Punjab Rana Faqir Ahmed, Director General Water Management, Punjab Malik Muhammad Akram and representatives of Livestock, Irrigation and Private Sector.

It is to remind that Chief Minister, Punjab Mohsin Naqvi constituted an agricultural task force under his own supervision to improve the agricultural value chain.

Chief Secretary Punjab, Chairman Planning and Development Department, Secretary Agriculture, Livestock, Irrigation, Director General Agriculture (Research) and representatives of APTMA and other organizations are included in as member.

On the occasion, various proposals were approved to increase agricultural productivity, including promotion of certified seeds of approved varieties to increase wheat and cotton production, Punjab Soil Fertility Restoration Program to increase soil fertility, 50% subsidy to small farmers for 60 bags of gypsum and make 50,000 acres of barren land in Punjab arable land.

Provincial Minister SM Tanvir instructed to start a pilot project in Mankira, Chobara and Noorpur tehsils for the resettlement of Thal, to build 5 new small dams in Potohar region and water testing lab at the tehsil level in Punjab. He added that a state-of-the-art research center will be built in Faisalabad with the cooperation of China to promote agricultural research.

The provincial minister also reviewed the proposals for providing warehousing, cold storage and processing facilities to small farmers in Punjab under public-private partnership.

Secretary Agriculture, Punjab Iftikhar Ali Sahoo has said that cotton and wheat are cash crops for the country. Steps are being taken under effective strategy for getting per acre higher production of these crops so as, to achieve the production targets and earn foreign exchange for the country.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023