Agricultural research: PM calls for increase in farm output
Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf stressed on Saturday the need of increasing per-acre yield of crops in the country by using research and modern technologies.
The prime minister directed the finance division to provide Rs383.7 million to the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) so that the research work does not face any impediments. He issued the directives after getting a detailed briefing by PARC chairman Dr Iftikhar Ahmad.
Prime Minister Ashraf said he wanted to see Pakistan as self-sufficient in other major crops besides wheat and emphasised the need to intensify research on wheat, rice, cotton, and sugarcane.
He directed the relevant ministry to work on a plan to increase edible oil production so that the country can save foreign exchange on its imports.
He directed the PARC to arrange programmes on electronic media to provide the farmers community awareness about the results of research in the agriculture sector.
He took strong notice of the fact that despite the hard work of farmers and fertile land, the per-acre agricultural produce in Pakistan is less than in other countries. Prime Minister Ashraf said he had directed the Ministry of National Food Security and Research to present a food security policy draft for the approval of the federal cabinet. He said the objective of the draft policy would be for the agriculture sector to meet domestic needs and generate export surplus.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 7th, 2012.
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We need an institution, an independent institution with its own bank and workforce, which work for the benefit of small farmer. Help farmer in choosing most economical crop for his land and then purchase his crop, if one day this thing happen everyone will get benefit, farmers, that institution, people of Pakistan and government of Pakistan. Otherwise prosperity of Pakistan will remain a dream.