FAISALABAD: In a major outreach initiative to translate agricultural research into practical field solutions and strengthen food security, the University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF), in collaboration with the Punjab Agriculture Extension Department, has mobilised around UAF 32,000 students for a 10-day wheat campaign from Oct 30 to Nov 8 in six divisions of Punjab.
Addressing the inaugural session at Iqbal Auditorium, Punjab Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture Usama Khan Leghari urged students to help farmers adopt modern technologies, saying young graduates could play a pivotal role in strengthening food security, mechanisation and agricultural entrepreneurship. He said the government was facilitating farmers through the Kisan Card, mechanised equipment, including super seeders, and a support price of Rs 4,500 per maund. The per-acre credit limit under the Kisan Card had also been increased to help farmers cope with rising input costs.
He said more than Rs350 billion had been disbursed in agricultural microfinance loans through the Bank of Punjab, with a recovery rate of 99 per cent. He added that the government had declared the current year the year of mechanisation and value addition and launched the project to promote innovation, artificial intelligence and technology in agriculture.
Punjab Secretary Agriculture Shakeel Ahmad Mian stressed timely sowing, certified seed and line sowing as the three major priorities of the campaign. He said line sowing was practised on only around 11 per cent of Punjab’s wheat-growing area, largely in rain-fed Potohar, while traditional broadcasting remained common in the major agricultural plains. He urged students and extension teams to educate farmers about modern sowing techniques, balanced fertiliser use and improved crop management. He said the Rs 4,500 support price will encourage farmers to expand wheat cultivation amid growing global food security concerns. He added that the government was also exploring value addition and export opportunities in case of surplus production. He said that students from UAF, MUSAU Multan and Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi are mobilized across the province under the drive.
Director General Agriculture Extension Shahbaz Akhtar said the campaign would strengthen field extension services through nearly 400 general gatherings, 200 mega gatherings, 500 village contact sessions, media briefings and other interactive activities. Farmers would also be advised to complete sowing between Nov 1 and 20 and use certified seed and modern agronomic practices.
UAF Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Zulfiqar Ali said more than 3,200 students from university departments and sub-campuses would suspend academic activities for a week to participate in the campaign. He said inadequate wheat production could trigger serious food shortages, making farmer outreach essential. He added that the initiative built on UAF’s student internship programme in farmers’ fields, launched in 2010, and a joint annual campaign with the Punjab Agriculture Department initiated in 2021. Its objective was not only to increase yields but also to expose students to field realities, engage them with farmers and encourage scientific solutions to agricultural problems.
Dean Agriculture Dr Ghulam Murtaza said that UAF students will visit six divisions including Gujranwala, Gujrat, Lahore, Sahiwal, Sargodha and Faisalabad.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026