Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has directed that extensive measures should be taken for the promotion of kitchen gardening in the province and a comprehensive system should be adopted for this purpose. He said that committees should be formed at tehsil, district and provincial level for the implementation of the project.
He said that he would personally preside over meetings of the provincial level committee on monthly basis. He said that all out encouragement should be extended for the gardening of maximum vegetables in cities and suburban areas, as well as state land, parks, spare land of educational institutions and other places.
According to an information of DGPR, he was presiding over a meeting regarding kitchen garden project aimed at increasing vegetable production in the province, here Wednesday. Provincial Minister for Agriculture Malik Ahmad Ali Aulakh, MNA Mian Marghoob Ahmad, MPs Khawaja Salman Rafiq, Rao Kashif, Secretary Agriculture, Chief Executive Officer PAMCO and senior officer concerned were present.
The chief minister said that meat and even vegetables had gone beyond the reach of the common man in the current era of price-hike and the implementation of kitchen gardening project would not only help increase production of vegetables, but also stabilise their prices. He said that the government had evolved a comprehensive strategy for the promotion of kitchen gardening in cities and suburban areas. He said that under the first phase of the project 30,000 seed kits had been distributed while the second phase would be started in July.
He directed that participation of civil society should also be ensured in the project and special lectures should be arranged for mobilising boy and girl students. He said that Agriculture Department should first take practical steps for the promotion of kitchen gardening and then give them due publicity for promoting the trend of kitchen gardening. He said that road shows should also be arranged for that purpose.
He said that the department should identify suitable areas for kitchen gardening project and all out encouragement should be extended to civil society, NGOs, elected representatives, bureaucracy and citizens in that connection. He issued instructions for setting up a committee for the implementation of kitchen gardening project at the provincial level and directed that a sub-committee should also be established, which should be headed by Provincial Minister for Agriculture and comprise elected representatives, Secretary Agriculture, Secretary Information, Director General Public Relations, senior officers of agriculture department and experts. The committee would be responsible for formation and monitoring of committees at district and tehsil levels and would meet thrice a month.
He said that the committee would take measures for increasing production of such vegetables which had a greater demand. He said that the committee would also launch an effective media campaign for promoting of kitchen gardening across the province and creating public awareness in that regard. He directed Minister and Secretary Agriculture to make all out efforts for the promotion of the project and besides creating public awareness should also evolve a comprehensive monitoring system.
Earlier, Secretary Agriculture Captain Arif Nadeem (Retd) gave a detailed briefing regarding kitchen gardening project. He informed that 30,000 seed kits had been distributed in cities and suburban areas and civil society and boy and girl students had also been given necessary training, while special lectures had also been arranged. He also highlighted various aspects of the future strategy regarding kitchen gardening project.