Federal Minister for Food, Agriculture and Livestock Sikandar Hayat Bosan said here that government was determined to improve the production of major crops including cotton, wheat, rice and sugarcane.
Government's policy on wheat has shown excellent results last year as 21.6 million tons of wheat was harvested during 2004-05, the minister said in a statement on Wednesday.
He said the government was also focusing on value-added agriculture products including horticulture, livestock and fisheries sub sectors.
The overall policy of government covers food security, increasing productivity, commercial agriculture, imports substitution, income diversification, export-oriented goods, and to raise productivity and profitability of the farming community, enabling the country to raise living standard of rural masses and reduce poverty, he added.
Bosan said Pakistan by exporting wheat had joined the club of wheat exporting countries. He added the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock launched a campaign 'Grow More Wheat' in collaboration with the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (Parc) and the provincial governments.
Under the campaign, a massive electronic and print media promotional programme aimed at motivating growers for adopting of latest agricultural technology, he added.
The minister said timely supply of fertilisers and availability of certified wheat seed was ensured, and the provinces were advised to manage water on micro level.
He said herbicides' supply and demand situation was rationalised by declaring 21 herbicides in the generic category, which led to around 40 per cent reduction in the herbicides prices.
He said those efforts coupled with favourable weather conditions had enabled Pakistan to harvest bumper crops during 2004-2005.
He said to sustain that achievement the government was strengthening the National Wheat Research Programme.
The minister said that agricultural research system had been entrusted challenging task of developing new varieties to avoid tolerate weather extremes.
Bosan said the Economic Co-ordination Committee of the Cabinet, by adopting procurement policy measures (2005) regarding wheat procurement for public sector, set 4.83 million tons' target.
To support in the wheat procurement, government issued necessary instructions to facilitate financing for private sector. Provincial governments were advised to ensure support price to the wheat growers at the rate of Rs 400 per 40 kilogram, the minister said.
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