Muhammad Asad
ISLAMABAD: Government took up the agricultural transformation plan worth Rs. 62 billion rupees during next financial year 2021-22. It was shared by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Food Security Mr. Jamshed Iqbal Cheema during a news conference in Islamabad on Wednesday.
Cheema claimed that incumbent government has a comprehensive plan to increase food production by expanding the area of cultivated land, provision of imported quality seeds and hiring of foreign agricultural Scientists during coming years. He said Prime Minister Imran Khan has assured his team of full Support and provision of all possible resources to achieve this goal.
According to Cheema, the government will particularly focus to protect the rights of farmers, consumers, and local food industries by using latest technological interventions to curb Country’s dependency on food import from other countries. He noted the government has enacted Rs. 62 billion rupees in the next budget, however, the allocated budget will be increased to any limit according to the requirements.
According to SAPM on food Security, federal government would take the provinces on board and follow a comprehensive strategy to achieve the destiny of net food exporter in the world. Responding to a media query regarding latest innovations in agricultural sector, Cheema said that beside using own talent, foreign Scientists and Researchers would be hired to transform the agriculture sector into modernized, innovative, and highly productive farming business during coming years.
He informed the media men that government earmarked about Rs. 10 billion rupees in next fiscal year.
Cheema said that government has deputed Rs. 4.5 billion rupees to increase cotton production in next year. He added Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) will purchase cotton to maintain prices and to bring transparency in the whole process. He claimed that due to government’s incentivized policies textile industry is hopeful of touching record exports up to $ 26 billion by the end of the year 2023.
He underscored that government would introduce latest Chinese agricultural technologies including mobile testing laboratories to ensured quality of the products particularly seeds, milk and fertilizers to curb sale/use of substandard material in the farming.
