Modern trends and tangible research should be disseminated to the farmers at their doorsteps to make agriculture profitable in addition to achieving food security in the country.
This was stated by the Vice Chancellor of the University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Prof. Dr. Iqrar Ahmad Khan, while chairing a meeting of the Punjab Agriculture Strategy Plan 2023-2033. He told the meeting that agriculture was facing issues of soil fertility, inputs, mechanizations, market access, water and availability of fertilisers.
The vice chancellor said that the fertility of land was decreasing with the passage of time for which recommendations of experts in agriculture would have to be adopted.
He said that most of the agricultural land of Punjab was utilised for wheat and rice cultivation.
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If effective irrigation was to be promoted in the cultivation of these crops, a huge amount of water could be saved, he said.
Prof. Khan called for boosting cooperation among government, private and other institutions for development of agriculture.
He said that due to market and input problems, farmers were unable to get due profits. He expressed his concern that fertile agricultural land was being used for housing colonies and other purposes.
“Agriculture can be improved with an agro-ecological zone and cluster system,” he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 27th, 2023.
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