LAHORE: Punjab Agriculture Strategic Plan (2024-34) recommendations were submitted in the third meeting of the plan here on Tuesday, which will be soon sent to the provincial cabinet for approval after consultation of these stakeholders.
The Punjab Minister for Agriculture S. M. Tanveer termed the plan as a complete game changer for the agricultural development of the province.
This plan has been prepared on the instructions of Chief Minister, Punjab Mohsin Naqvi, which includes proposals for improvement of water resources, reforms for agricultural research and improvement and innovation in the market and industry system related to the agricultural sector.
Secretary Agriculture Punjab Nadir Chattha, Secretary Agriculture South Punjab Saqib Ali Ateel, Additional Secretary Agriculture Planning Captain Waqas Rasheed (retd), Additional Secretary Agriculture (Task Force) Punjab Muhammad Shabbir Ahmad Khan, Vice Chancellor Agriculture University Faisalabad Rana Iqar Ahmad Khan, Chief Scientist Ayub Agricultural Research Institute Faisalabad Dr. Muhammad Akhtar, Director General Agriculture Extension Dr. Ishtiaq Hasan, and other senior officers, progressive farmers and other stakeholders participated in today’s meeting. Vice Chancellor Agriculture University Faisalabad Dr. Iqrar Ahmed Khan briefed the participants about the recommendations.
On this occasion, Provincial Agriculture Minister SM Tanveer congratulated the Secretary Agriculture, Punjab and his team for preparing a comprehensive plan for agricultural development. He said that Secretary Agriculture, Punjab was working hard for the preparation of this plan.
Secretary Agriculture Punjab Nadir Chattha said that improvements could be made in the agricultural sector only through investment.
The aim of making the plan was to make the best use of land and water resources so as to substantially increase the yield of crops per acre. The implementation of this plan would lead to innovation in research activities under Research Reforms. Besides, Agro-ecological Zones agricultural activities would be promoted as per the plan. By implementing this plan, 10-15% post-harvest losses of important crops could be avoided, he added.
In the meeting, all the stakeholders discussed the challenges faced by the agriculture sector and to solve their problems. They shared their experiences and took practical steps to finalize the recommendations of the Punjab Agriculture Strategic Plan 2024-34.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.