United States would cooperate with Pakistan in enhancing agriculture productivity by extending latest technology, said Breint Hunt, US consulate general in Lahore. "US will help Pakistan in socio-economic uplift" said Hunt while addressing to the concluding session of the training workshop of the newly inducted Mobile Credit Officers (MCOs) of the Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) here on Wednesday.
He said that due to climate change the whole world was confronted with challenges of food security for which global consensus was need of the hour. Being an agricultural country, Pakistan could play a pivotal role in meeting the global food shortage.
The US had pledged Pakistan $1.5 per year for the socio-economic development to attain self-sufficiency, he said. He further said that farmers could not even imagine of increasing their productivity without using the latest technology. By using technology growers could not only increase their yield but could also create job opportunities. Hunt congratulated the newly inducted MCOs and urged to work for the uplift of Pakistan.
Addressing on this occasion, President ZTBL Zaka Ashraf said that during 2009 new lending products and schemes had been launched such as establishment of model villages to demonstrate new technologies and enhance per acre yield. Similarly, crop loans insurance scheme had been started to safeguard agriculture sector from natural disaster.
Ashraf said that only credit facility was extended to the farmers and no importance was given to the usage of technology in the agriculture sector. However, the present government, besides the loan facility had also started to facilitate the growers through usage of new technology. Usage of the technology would help in increasing Agri. output, he added.
The ZTBL was pursuing establishment of bio-technology institute through PARC for development of hybrid seeds to increase production/yield and attain food self-sufficiency, he said. He said that initiatives had been taken to increase lending facility for introduction of new technologies in agriculture sector such as small harvesters, paddy transplanters, tunnel farming, sugarcane planters/harvesters, hydro-phonic cultivation etc.
Comments
Comments are closed.