Punjab govt launches exclusive schemes for promotion of fruits

MULTAN: The Punjab government has launched exclusive schemes for the promotion of fruits and providing equipment to registered nurseries across the province.

According to a spokesperson for the Punjab Agriculture Department, the steps was being taken to develop high yielding fruit varieties and sought applications from registered nurseries in this regard. He told that a national plan worth Rs 360 million was being implemented across the province to increase fruits production. Under the scheme, registered nurseries would be provided Rs 300,000 per nursery to install sheds, tunnels, nursery equipment, fountains and pens, he informed.

He told that the facilities would be provided to the registered nursery owners from the government Germ Plasm Unit. The registered aspiring nursery owners should submit their applications to the offices of Agriculture (Extension) divisional director, Agriculture (Extension) deputy director or Agriculture (Horticulture) by December 20 in order to get benefit from the government scheme, he continued.

He said that it was necessary for the nurseries to cultivate fruit plants for at least three years. The nurseries should have all the basic facilities like screen house, green shed, water supply, budding material, tools and skilled labour, he maintained.

The nurseries registered by January 2020 would be included in the lottery while all government agencies were bound to purchase plants from registered nurseries, he disclosed. The spokesperson said that the Punjab Agriculture Department had also prepared a strategy to combat spread of weeds in wheat fields.

There was a scope for increasing wheat production per acre to meet the nutritional needs of the growing population of the country on a permanent basis, he added. The contribution of herbs to food, water and air, along with the crop, leads to a significant reduction in wheat production, he told. It was estimated that weeds could reduce wheat production by upto 50pc, he said.

The rate was lower due to poor production quality and due to blending of seeds, the spokesperson added. He said that for the destruction of broad-leaved weeds, wheat was usually sprayed after the first irrigation and for the destruction of pointed-leaf weeds, it was sprayed after the second irrigation, a special nozzle flat fan for spraying.

The farmers use T-Jet and keep 100 to 120 litres of water per acre, he told. By timely eradication of weeds from the wheat crop, they could get good yields of wheat per acre which would meet the nutritional needs of the growing population on a regular basis, the spokesperson added.