Farming business: Agriculture official urges concerted efforts

Asks stakeholders to improve productivity for food security.

FAISALABAD: Punjab Agricultural Secretary Rashid Mehmood has asked researchers, extension workers and other stakeholders to make concerted efforts in order to increase agricultural productivity and address the issues of the farming community.

While chairing the agricultural experts meeting at the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad (UAF), he said that the Punjab government was taking all possible steps to solve the issues of the farming community and increase per acre production.

“It will help in reducing poverty in the country,” he said.

The cotton production, latest technology, planter and fertiliser uses came under discussion.  He urged experts to sort out solutions to the agriculture problems and out-of-the-box plans to benefit farmers and consumers as well.

He was of the view that the heat tolerant and short duration crop with increased yield potential was the necessity to ensure food security for the growing population. He urged experts to give proper guidelines to farmer’s community about increasing the yield. He said that steps were afoot for the uplift of the agriculture sector.

UAF Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan said the university in collaboration with the Punjab Agri Extension Department had developed a fertiliser model, giving guidelines to the farming community about proper fertiliser usage. He assured full cooperation of the university aimed at increasing production and reducing poverty.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 15^th, 2015.

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