Punjab government has evolved a comprehensive plan for the promotion of Sunflower and other oil seed crops in the Province. Under the programme sunflower would be cultivate on more than 2.10 lakh acres of land in different areas of the Province.
Sources in Agriculture department told Business Recorder on Monday that the step was being taken to produce maximum edible oil aimed at lessening the import and to produce maximum edible oil in the province. At present only 34 percent edible oil is being produced within country while 66 percent was being imported for catering the domestic needs for which government was spending huge foreign exchange on the import of edible oil every year.
The demand of edible oil was increasing rapidly due to the fast increase in population of the country and under the situation extra efforts were being made for cultivating oil seed crops including sunflower for minimizing the import of edible oil. The cultivation of sunflower crop could play a vital role in enhancing the production of edible oil because the sunflower seeds had 40 percent oil capacity as compare to other oil seed crops. As many as 4700 acres of land in Sialkot, Daska, Pasrur and Sambrial tehsils of Sialkot district would be brought under sunflower crops.
Keeping in view the importance of edible crops the Agriculture department was making strenuous efforts for motivating the growers that they should cultivate sunflower crop in their fields and get maximum economic benefits and help in enhancing the production of edible oil sources said. The sunflower growers had been directed that they should complete cultivate sunflower crop by mid of next month in their respective fields.