Governor Balochistan Awais Ahmed Ghani has urged the farmers to use water economically as the province is facing severe water scarcity. He was addressing as chief guest at the two-day planning meeting of 'Food Security and Poverty Alleviation in arid Agriculture in Balochistan Project' here at a local hotel on Wednesday.
He said that the government is providing Rs 7 billion subsidy for tube wells in the province. The subsidy will be provided phase wise till 2008. New tube wells will not be given subsidy. The subsidy is borne by the federal and the provincial governments and Wapda.
The subsidy would be provided in future to the farmers who adopt trickle irrigation system. It will not be allowed to flood irrigation, he explained.
The Governor said that the federal government has also allocated Rs 6 billion for water channels lining in the province to prevent wastage. The project will be completed within next four years.
He said the government has also allocated Rs 8 billion for water recycling and water-harvesting project for Quetta valley. Besides, the government will also launch water-recycling projects for irrigation sector in other parts of the province.
Referring to the livestock sector he said the government has established a Institute in which 24 students have been registered for Ph.D. There are five Ph.D. scholars who are guiding the students in research work. The federal government has allocated Rs 190 million for the institute to be spent within next two years.
The institute has produced two vaccines, which will be used in poultry sector and foot and mouth diseases in animals. The vaccines will be introduced in market soon.
He said the government is introducing modern scientific techniques in the fields of livestock and agriculture. In this regard it encourages the private sector for investment in the sectors. Five private companies are working in agriculture sector with advanced technologies. The companies conduct trainings for farmers and educate them about usage of water, fertilisers and modern equipment. The companies have also invited their fellow companies for investment in the province, he informed.
He said that the government is making strenuous efforts to meet the water scarcity problems in the province. With completion of Kachhi canal project and dams, water problems would be resolved in some parts of Balochistan.
He said the federal government would also grant additional Rs 2 billion to the province for improvement of agriculture sector. Besides, the government has established 18 experimental model farms for improving the sector in the province.
He called upon all stakeholders to move fast in implementation of their projects in order to meet the challenges faced in both sectors. The Governor hailed the project launched by ICARDA, USAID and FAO and asked them to extend the tenure of their project one-year more.
Earlier, Director ICARDA briefed the participants about the project and highlighted its objectives. He said it would strengthen the capacity of applied research for arid land agriculture in Balochistan. It will also ensure sustainable management of scarce water resources. In the first phase the project has been initiated in three district including Mastung, Killa Saifullah and Loralai.
Project Director Mushtaq Ahmed, Director General FAO David Doolen, Director ICARDA Aboul Naga, ACS Balochistan Qayyum Nazar Changezi and other experts also spoke on the occasion.
Comments
Comments are closed.