All resources should be utilized by the provincial authorities for the cultivation of wheat on 16.5 million acres of land in Punjab.

The statement was made by the Punjab Agriculture Secretary Ahmad Aziz Tarar while presiding over an online meeting of directors and deputy directors of the Agriculture Extension Wing, according to a press release received by WealthPK.

The meeting was informed that wheat cultivation in irrigated areas was now underway and that 64% of wheat cultivation in rain-fed areas had been completed.

The secretary stated that wheat cultivation in paddy regions needed to be accelerated in order to be spread over the largest possible area in Punjab in a timely manner. He advised the field employees of Agriculture Extension Department to carry out their responsibilities to ensure the timely growing of wheat and to assist farmers in every way possible.

According to the agriculture secretary, farmers in flood-affected areas were given free seeds of different wheat varieties, while in other areas, 0.9 million bags of certified seeds of different varieties were distributed at a cost of PKR 1,200 each, in addition to herbicide subsidies.

In addition, he said the support price for wheat had been raised to PKR 3,000 per 40 kg before the crop was sown. This was done to make wheat farming lucrative for the farmers.

In order to encourage farmers to grow wheat, the secretary suggested that competitions for wheat production be held at the provincial, divisional, and tehsil levels this year.

All of the directors and deputy directors of Agriculture Extension Department participated in the online meeting. The meeting was attended by the Punjab Task Force Additional Secretary Muhammad Shabbir Ahmad Khan, Agriculture Extension DG Dr Anjum Ali, Crop Reporting DG Abdul Qayyum, and Director of Agriculture Information Muhammad Rafiq Akhtar.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk