LAHORE:Special economic zones would be established to increase the export of pink salt. Punjab Minister for Mines and Minerals Sher Ali Gorchani disclosed this during a meeting. The meeting was attended by Secretary for Mines and Minerals, Pervez Iqbal, DG Mines and Minerals, Mansoor Ahmad, MD PSIC, Sarah Umar, and other officials.
He emphasised that the provincial government would request the federal government to impose a ban on the export of raw salt produced in Punjab. All resources would be utilised to enhance the export of pink salt. He mentioned that the draft of the Pink Rock Salt Policy 2024 would soon be presented to the chief minister for approval.
In collaboration with the Punjab Small Industries Corporation (PSIC), a processing zone for salt will be established within the salt range. The provincial minister also highlighted that in line with the CM’s vision, pink salt exporters would be equipped with modern technology.
Protecting pink salt from wastage is a priority for the CM. In this regard, the planning, branding, marketing, and international certification of pink salt will be given special attention. He added land would be provided to exporters at discounted rates, and the Punjab government would bear the infrastructure costs. Discounted loans would be provided through the Bank of Punjab. The option of adopting a profit-sharing model was also considered.
‘Digital agriculture vital for farming’
Digital agriculture is the future of farming and utilising digital networks and social media for transferring agricultural information has become essential in today’s era. The agreement between the Punjab Agriculture Department and Ba-Khabar Kissan will prove to be a source of timely agricultural information for farmers.
The agreement with FACE (Food Security and Agriculture Center of Excellence) will help in farmers’ capacity building, innovations, value chain, and enhance production. These views were expressed by Minister for Agriculture Syed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani while his address at an MoU signing ceremony held at Agriculture House here on Thursday.
The ceremony was attended by Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture Usama Khan Leghari and Secretary Agriculture Punjab Iftikhar Ali Sahoo. The event was attended by Ba-Khabar Kissan Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Khizar Alam Khan, Chief Operating officer FACE Hassan Akram, Marketing Head of FFC Athar Javed, Consultant for Punjab Agriculture Department Dr M Anjum Ali, Additional Secretary Task Force Agriculture M Shabbir Ahmad Khan, Director General Agriculture Extension Chaudhary Abdul Hameed, and Director General Agricultural Information Punjab Naveed Asmat Kahloon, along with other senior officials.
On this occasion, the agriculture minister stated that he is confident these agreements will become milestones in the development of the agriculture sector. The Punjab Agriculture Department (Extension Wing) will fully support both companies in this regard. He also issued directives to appoint Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture Usama Khan Leghari as the focal person for programmes under these agreements. He emphasised the need for swiftly disseminating information to farmers, considering the adverse effects of climate change and trends in diverse production. This will not only reduce production costs but also increase per-acre crop yield. Syed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani stated that farmers will be provided with information about pest alerts, weather updates, and optimal use of fertilisers and water through modern technology, including artificial intelligence.