LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has constituted a multi-stakeholder “Agriculture Commission” for two years to work for the promotion and ensure profitable and sustainable growth in the agriculture sector.

The Punjab Agriculture Minister Syed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani has been designated as the chairman of this newly constituted commission, according to a notification issued on Friday.

There are a total of 31 members in the Agriculture Commission, including progressive farmers, heads of the relevant government departments and other stakeholders.

According to the notification, the commission has been entrusted with the assignment to initiate broad-based consultations for recommendations linking to food security, intensification, diversification, climate change, value addition, farm profitability and sustainability in the agricultural sector.

The commission will also suggest to the government the ways and means to address the challenges related to land and water, agriculture inputs, crop productivity enhancement, high-value agriculture, agro-ecological zones, research and development, marketing/agro-industry, import and adopting of latest agricultural technologies.

The Commission will make recommendations after prudent analysis for efficient management of existing public sector institutions, private sector investment, collaboration of public and private sector, analysis of recent interventions and problems in adoption, public sector policies and challenges.

Meanwhile, other members of the Agriculture Commission are Provincial Irrigation Minister Muhammad Kazim Pirzada, Finance Minister Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman and members of the Provincial Assembly Rana Muhammad Saleem & Usama Khan Laghari. Apart from this, the secretaries of the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Irrigation, and Finance are also included as members. In addition, the Secretary of Agriculture has been appointed as a member/secretary of the Punjab Agriculture Commission.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024