FAISALABAD: Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Syed Fakhar Imam has said the National Agriculture Commission will be set up for the development in the agricultural education and research.

Chairing a meeting at the University of Agriculture Faisalabad, he said that increment in per acre production, value addition, empowering small farmers, tangible research in agriculture and rural development were prerequisite for the uplift of the country and food security. He said the government has mapped out comprehensive five policies on five major crops in order to boost up per acre productivity, ensure food security and agriculture development.

He said this year, per acre what production has boosted up which was stagnant for the last ten years, resulting in the significant increase of 2.2 million ton in the national wheat production. He said that it is increased by 1.5 ton per acre.

Talking about the cotton, he said that production of cotton in Punjab is touching 4.5m bales at an increase of approximately 8.5 per cent from last year. Overall cotton production is likely to reach 8.46 million bales. He said that the attack of Whitefly, pinball worm and CLCV remained significant which had adversely affected the production of cotton.

He also shed light that provision of certified seed, value addition and mechanization was one of challenges in which agriculture experts should play their pivotal role. He said that the government has disbursed Rs 4 billion credit to the small farmers' community, less than 12 acre, which is the 90 percent of the farming community.

He said the provision of quality school and health facility was essential at rural level that will lower down burden in the cities and the will help strengthen the rural development.

Talking about fruits, he said that country was producing the excellent fruit but export is the negligible. He said that the value addition and the adaptation of the international standard are prerequisite to earn the foreign exchange. He said that it is matter of grave concern that we import edible oil and pulses worth billions of the rupees instead of the producing at the domestic level.-PR

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021