Minister of State for Food, Agriculture and Livestock, Mohammad Ali Malkani said on Monday that the government was providing a subsidy of Rs 22 billion on the imports of urea and DAP fertilisers to facilitate the growers and to boost agriculture in the country.
He was presiding over 3rd meeting of the co-ordination committee on paddy crop situation and its marketing at the office of Agri Business Development and Diversification Project. He said that the government intended to facilitate farmers, exporters and all stakeholders to promote the rice crop.
Malkani called upon the participants to convey suggestions and recommendations of the meeting, which will be forwarded to the Prime Minister upon his desire. He said a meeting of Rice Export Board will be called soon to discuss with the millers, growers, abadgars, exporters and other stakeholders to discuss their problems and to resolve the issues for development of rice and to achieve the export target of 2 billion dollar up to 2010.
The Minister of State advised the growers to get better yield of rice through modernisation and training of farmers as well as millers. Mohammad Ali Malkani asked the Rice Commissioner to prepare recommendations for onward submission to the Prime Minister for the promotion of rice crop and to encourage storage, credit and other facilities.
The minister also directed the Secretary Water to provide irrigation water to the growers as per requirement of crop. The representative of Abadgars Board, growers and Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (Reap) attended the meeting.