Mitigating climate change impact: Minister for popularising modern agri technology

LAHORE:Agriculture Minister Syed Hussain Jahania Gardezi Thursday stressed the need of popularising modern agricultural technology in terms of mitigating impact of climate change.

Addressing a ceremony held at a farm for the demonstration of precision agriculture technology in Dipalpur, Okara, the minister said the transfer of precision agriculture technology would help increase the domestic production and reduce the production cost of farmers.

He said the Punjab government was making efforts to bring this technology accessible to small farmers. The minister said Pir Meher Ali Shah Barani Agricultural University, Rawalpindi, had established a Precision Agriculture Centre to promote digital and precision agriculture at national level and to provide farmers real-time information.

He said the technology would create awareness about our crops. The minister said it was important to adopt an integrated strategy to familiarise digital and precision agriculture in the country. He said with latest agricultural technology and digital agriculture the country could be self-sufficient in agricultural production and would export agricultural products as well.

The minister congratulated Vice Chancellor of Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, for organising the event and emphasised on updating its data on back end on a daily basis. He said this year the students of the varsity were actively participating in the wheat sowing campaign and increase in wheat production this year was very important for the country's food security. He said we have to increase 2 million tonnes wheat production to save valuable foreign exchange of the country. At present, the yield of approved varieties is 60 maunds per acre. If the farmers cultivate and maintain their crop in consultation with the agriculture department, the production will surely increase.

VC Pir Meher Ali Shah Barani Agricultural University Rawalpindi, Dr Qamar-ul-Zaman said Barani Agricultural University Rawalpindi had the honour of being the first in the country to develop modern digital and precision agriculture.

He said in the country farmers were going from traditional farming to mechanisation, now the university had realised the dream of GIS. He said the students of the university are providing awareness about the modern production technology of wheat to farmers as a national mission. Dr Saeed Iqbal, an agricultural expert of a private company and other speakers also addressed the event.