Barakwal Directs SCRI Officials To Improve Performance

Fahad Shabbir (@FahadShabbir) Published May 05, 2025 | 05:50 PM

PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 5th May, 2025) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Agriculture, Maj (R) Sajjad Barakwal paid a surprise visit to the Sugar Crops Research Institute (SCRI) Mardan.

During the visit, the minister inspected ongoing crop yield experiments. Director SCRI, Dr. Muhammad Tahir briefed the minister on the experimental processes.

Provincial minister Sajjad Barakwal directed the staff to take all necessary measures to improve the institute’s performance.

The minister was accompanied by Assistant Director (Planning), Nisar Muhammad and other officials.

Later on, the minister chaired a meeting at the institute’s seminar hall and exchanged views with scientists on matters of public interest.

He urged the scientists to make every possible effort to advance agriculture, particularly sugar crops.

The meeting also discussed solutions to seed-related challenges faced by local farmers. Minister Agriculture Sajjad Barakwal said that the province produces high-quality tobacco, and efforts are underway to bring its research and development under provincial control.

He emphasized that sugarcane is a major cash crop for the province, playing a vital role in the livelihoods of farmers.

In district Mardan, Charsadda, Peshawar, and D.I. Khan, sugarcane is cultivated across 94,000 hectares.

The meeting was informed that SCRI Mardan is actively working on sugarcane research and development tailored to the province’s climate.

The institute aims to develop climate-resilient sugarcane varieties, improve yield, enhance plant protection technologies, and educate farmers about new varieties and production techniques through conventional and digital media platforms.

The institute has introduced 23 sugarcane varieties, significantly boosting production and yield. Notable varieties include Israr Shaheed SC, Abdul Qayyum 2017, Gul Rahman 2021 and Mardan 2021.

These varieties are distributed annually based on the institute’s available resources. However, a comprehensive strategy is needed to expand the cultivation of higher-yielding varieties across the province.APP/aqk