Agricultural experts have urged farmers to adopt modern farming techniques to increase the yield of the wheat crop, WealthPK reports. Addressing the Green Kissan convention, Chief Scientist of Ayub Agricultural Research Institute Faisalabad Muhammad Nawaz said that farmers should adopt modern techniques of cultivation to achieve the optimum yield of wheat. The convention was held in Sargodha to increase awareness among wheat growers about the use of scientific and modern methods of farming.

Muhammad Nawaz said that the wheat crop was cultivated on 1.7 million acres last year in the Sargodha division from which 28 maunds per acre of wheat was obtained while the average production of wheat was 30 maunds per acre in Punjab. Director Agriculture Extension Sargodha Shahid Hussain, Chief Scientist Wheat Institute Dr Javed Akhtar, Director Agriculture Extension Sahiwal division Chaudhary Shehbaz Akhtar, Deputy Director Agriculture Information Punjab Naveed Ismat Kahlo and a number of farmers attended the convention.

Muhammad Nawaz urged the farmers to cultivate the maximum area in the Sargodha division as a national duty and avoid burning paddy residues where its harvesting was in progress. He said that agricultural scientists were discovering new varieties of wheat to withstand climate change and increase the average yield in the province. Speaking on the occasion, Shahid Hussain said that timely wheat cultivation on the maximum area was ensured by encouraging farmers. “This year, we have been given a target of 1.8 million acres for wheat cultivation.

Media vans are also being used along with print and electronic media to inform farmers about modern production technology,” he said. He said that subsidies were also being provided to wheat farmers on approved varieties of seeds, herbicides and modern machinery. Shahid Hussain said that the Punjab government ensured the supply of 9 million bags of 15 new varieties to the farmers to increase wheat production in the province.

He added that a special subsidy of Rs1,200 per bag had also been provided to farmers to reduce cultivation cost per acre. Addressing the convention, Dr Javed Akhtar said that it was necessary to achieve the wheat target of 36 maunds per acre by 2030. He said that farmers should cultivate it on maximum area. He claimed that progressive farmers in Punjab achieved yields of up to 60 maunds per acre. Prominent agronomist Dr Saeed Iqbal and other experts also addressed the convention.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk