Rs400b agriculture uplift plans launched: minister

LAHORE: Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Syed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani has said that introducing high yielding seeds of cotton, maize and soybeans is the need of the hour without which it is not possible to increase the yield per acre of crops.

He expressed these views during a meeting with the delegation of Bayer Company at Agriculture House Lahore. The minister said that Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz is interested in introducing GM technology of cotton and maize in the province. The current government has launched mega programmes worth Rs400billion under the Transforming Punjab Agriculture Programme for agricultural development and farmers’ prosperity.

The minister said that Punjab is facing the challenges of climate change, especially the control of whitefly in cotton crop is a big challenge for which the private sector and research institutions have to work together.

On this occasion, Agriculture Secretary Iftikhar Ali Sahoo said that the agriculture department and the private sector have to work together to achieve the agricultural production targets and increase the production of crops per acre. The Department of Agriculture is encouraging the private sector and in this regard policies are being formulated to support the private sector.

On this occasion, the Head of Bayer Crop Sciences Malu Nacheriner said that modern innovations of biotechnology have to be adopted to increase the production of cotton and soybeans. The private sector will join hands with research institutes for agricultural development. He endorsed that our company will fully cooperate with the Department of Agriculture to introduce seed technology and provide financial support to farmers in crop protection. During the meeting, Punjab Agriculture Department Consultant Dr Anjum Ali and Bayer Commercial Head East Asia and Pakistan Mateus Barros, Chief Executive Bayer Pakistan Ahmad and other representatives participated.