Federal Minister for Food, Agriculture and Livestock, Sikandar Hayat Khan Bosan, has said that special programmes would be evolved to provide initiatives to small growers aimed at increasing per acre yield.
Inaugurating a 'Grow-more Wheat' seminar in Jhang on Friday, he said that small farmers would be reorganised at village level to provide them appropriate technologies, along with necessary inputs, to increase farm production. The seminar was organised by the Fauji Fertiliser Company to motivate small growers to bring more area under wheat cultivation.
The Minister said that income-generating schemes, along with programmes for fisheries and livestock farming, would also be encouraged. "Initially, this scheme would be launched in 1000 selected villages", he said, and added that in the later phase, its scope would be extended to 13,000 villages.
He said that the government has reduced the price of phosphate and potash fertilisers by Rs 250 per bag and it was the first step towards reducing the input cost of farming in the country.
He said that minimum support price of wheat has also been increased from Rs 415 to Rs 425 per 40 kg. He said that 217,000 tons certified wheat seed would be distributed this year. It would be 50,000 tons more than the quantity supplied last year, he added.
The Minister assured the audience that steps were also being taken to ensure timely supply of urea and phosphorus fertilizers. He said that strict instructions have been issued to check black-marketing in fertilizers.
He asked the growers to inform their district Nazim or DCO about black marketers. "The licences of fertiliser dealers, involved in black-marketing, would be cancelled then and there", he said.
He said that the amount to give agriculture loans has also been increased from previous Rs 137 billion to Rs 160 billion this year. He said that special instructions have been issued to the banks to dole out maximum loans to small and middle class growers.
The Minister urged the growers to sow wheat in time and try to complete the sowing before November 30. He said that the government has made a record increase for agriculture sector in Public Sector Development Program (PSDP).
Quoting statistics, Bosan said that Rs 290 million was allocated for this sector in 2000-01, while Rs 11.8 billion has been earmarked for agriculture sector in Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) of 2006-07.
He said that special emphasis has been laid on development of livestock to increase the production of milk and meat, and Rs 3 billion was allocated for this purpose. He said that the Livestock, Dairy Development Board and Pakistan Dairy Development Company, headed by private sector have also been constituted to develop the livestock sector, purely on commercial lines. Asad Sultan, General Manager, and Muhammad Iqbal Bukhari, Manager, Marketing, Fauji Fertiliser Company, also addressed the seminar.