The National Agriculture Research Centre (NARC) has imparted training to thousands of growers across the wheat-producing areas in the country to enhance their per acre output during the current Rabi season. So far, NARC has organised 17 training programmes and trained about 21,000 growers in areas of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Azad Kashmir in terms of efficient crop management practices, including water, fertilisers and use of different pesticides, said NARC’s national coordinator of wheat Dr Sikander Khan, reports WealthPK.

Besides, he added growers were also trained in weeds management to ensure maximum per acre yield. He said the NARC under its National Wheat Programme had conducted training secessions in Gujarat, Dera Ghazi Khan and Multan districts of Punjab, adding farmers of Mirpur district in Azad Kashmir and Attock, Kallar Syedan and Hazro areas of Punjab were also trained in crop management.

He said the training programme for wheat growers was also conducted in Jafarabad and Jhal Magsi districts of Balochistan. The NARC’s national coordinator of wheat added that 200 demonstration plots were also established at different locations to demonstrate high-yielding seed varieties.

Meanwhile, over 5,000 bags of certified high-yielding seed varieties of wheat were also provided to growers to help them multiply the production of disease and drought-resilient seeds. It is worth mentioning here that wheat sowing across the country has witnessed an encouraging trend thanks to incentives offered by the government, particularly in the aftermath of catastrophic floods in August and September last year.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk