Minister for Agriculture Marketing Punjab, Rana Qasim Noon, has said that the government would spend Rs 925 million on various agricultural developmental projects during the fiscal year 2005-2006 focussing agri research and enhancing productivity. Talking to a delegation of progressive farmers, who called on him here, on Tuesday, the minister observed that concerted efforts were being made to develop agricultural sector on modern lines, said a handout.
As part of the measures taken so far, he informed that 13 mobile veterinary dispensaries had been set up in Okara, Sahiwal, Jhang and Muzaffargarh to provide medical facilities for livestock farmers.
The government would establish 252 more mobile vet dispensaries in the province for the benefit of the farming community, the minister said, adding that it would also distribute 600 milk cooling tanks to livestock farmers so that milk wastage could be stopped.
The agricultural marketing department is facilitating farmers in several ways, he observed. Apart from providing professional guidance to farmers it helps to improve rural infrastructure to improve production and assure more profits to the farmers. The minister urged the farmers to pay attention to the marketing side so they could earn handsome returns on their agri production and help the country achieve agricultural self-reliance status.