Locusts situation under control across Faisalabad Division

FAISALABAD: A meeting of the Divisional Agriculture Advisory Committee was held under the chairmanship of Commissioner Ishrat Ali in the committee room of his office here on Sunday.

Agriculture Director Chaudhry Abdul Hameed briefed about the welfare measures of farmers and implementation of government policies. Agriculture officers and representatives of farmers’ organisations were also present.

The Agriculture director informed about the situation of locusts surveillance and said that although the situation was under control across the division, however surveillance was being carried out on daily basis and the report was being sent to the Punjab Disaster Management Authority.

He said that locusts control machinery and pesticides were available in large quantities. He also briefed on the targets of cotton and rice cultivation and the overall situation so far. He said that while taking action against the adulteration, 542 samples had been collected so far this year, out of which 25 cases were registered and four persons were arrested for 16 unfit cases.

The commissioner expressed satisfaction over the overall performance of the Agriculture Department and said that the benefits of government initiatives should be communicated to the farmers and they should be kept in close touch with them so that they were aware of departmental matters. He also directed that overcharging of prices of fertilisers and pesticides would not be tolerated.