Project launched for prosperity of farmers

MULTAN: Punjab Agriculture Secretary Wasif Khurshid has said that the department has started the water management project for the prosperity of farmers.

Talking to journalists here on Tuesday, the Punjab Agriculture Department secretary said that the department was working on scientific basis to get best possible results. He said that the project would cater effective use of agriculture water through installation of sprinkler water management systems on subsidised rates. The government was providing 60pc of the total cost to the farmers, he informed. The project would ensure 75pc saving of water and 20pc to 100pc increase in production, he claimed.

The project would provide an opportunity to the farmers to ensure better use of fertilisers and chemicals for crops, he added. He said that the government had allocated big amounts in the budget 2020-21 to increase per acre production and bring prosperity in the lives of the farmers.

The province would be inducted as a food basket for the entire Pakistan and a model of modern mechanised farming, he added. Wasif Khurshid said that the Punjab province was not only playing a role of a food basket for the country but also exporting multi types of fruits, vegetables and other agriculture products and fetching foreign exchange. The agriculture secretary said that high value agriculture was being promoted in the province. The PAD was taking measures to promote organic farming keeping in view of hot demand of organic food, he disclosed.

The organic farming would help boost export to other countries through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, he continued. Responding to a query, he said that the PAD had expedited crackdown on adulterated pesticides under the supervision of the Punjab government across the province.

Archeology Department team visits malkhana: A huge quantity of antique coins, gold and silver ornaments were found from Malkhana No 1 on Tuesday.

Malkhana had been sealed for the last six days. The oldest currency of Pakistan was also recovered from Malkhana which was opened in the presence of representatives of the Punjab Archeology Department and judicial officials.

The Multan High Court Bar Association president and Chellyak police SHO confirmed the recovery from Malkhana, However, the City District Administration did not confirm any recovery. The teams of the Punjab Archeology Department arrived from Lahore and district judiciary reached Malkhana.

The teams also recovered small bags from a closet recovered from the room. The dates of 1950-51 and 52 were written on small bags. Multan District Bar Association president Imran Sulehri told journalists that the Malkhana had been closed for many years. When the closet was opened during digging of the Malkhana, small bags were found there, he added.