Policy Formulated For High Value-added Agri Exports Promotion: ACS

High value-added agriculture exports would be promoted for which new policy was being formulated, said Additional Chief Secretary South Punjab (ACS) Saqib Zafar

MULTAN, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Jan, 2022 ) :High value-added agriculture exports would be promoted for which new policy was being formulated, said Additional Chief Secretary South Punjab (ACS) Saqib Zafar.

He stated that South Punjab was a food basket and this region was playing an important role in the food security of the country.

The ACS expressed these views while chairing a meeting in connection with devising new agricultural strategy here on Monday.

He said that 29 projects were being implemented for the development of agriculture sector in the region at a cost of over Rs.10 billion.

He recommended that modern methods of efficient use of water should be adopted to prevent wastage of water adding that uncultivated area of the region should be brought under cultivation and organic farming should be promoted in Koh-i-Suleman and Cholistan.

Earlier, Secretary Agriculture South Punjab, Saqib Ali Ateel, briefed on the new agricultural strategy.

He underscored the need to set up a separate Directorate of Marketing and Punjab Agricultural Marketing Authority (PAMRA) in South Punjab. He suggested that the provincial government should appoint a separate Director General of Agriculture in South Punjab while the Department of Agriculture, South Punjab should be given access to the Kisan Card portal It was informed that Rs. 390 million was being spent on corporate farming project and Rs. 199.7 million on providing infrastructure in ten agri-markets. The Horizontal Land Development Project in South Punjab has been started at a cost of Rs. 2 billion.

A sum of Rs over 180 mln would be spent on 10 projects of agriculture in Koh-i-Suleman and DG Khan while a substation of Cotton Research Centre was being built with over Rs 210 mln, he concluded.