SARGODHA: An area of 500,000 acres would be brought under wheat cultivation in the district this year as wheat sowing process has been started.
This was disclosed at a meeting of District Advisory Committee and District Task Force
held here on Sunday with Additional Deputy Commissioner Headquarters Arshad Ahmed
Wattoo in the chair. The meeting was attended by Deputy Director of Agriculture Jafar
Imran and other departments concerned and farmers.
Deputy Director Agriculture Imran Jafar informed the meeting that a target of wheat sowing had been set at 500,000 acres across the district.
He said the Punjab government was running many training programmes for farmers for
better yield while competitions were also being held among farmers to grow more wheat,
oil seeds and sugarcane crops.
The agriculture department was going to start an awareness programme for farmers
titled ‘smart farming’ from November 1, the schedule of which had been issued, he added.
He further said that as of now the citrus crop was also good, if there were rains on time
and the weather was favorable, bumper crop of citrus was expected this year.
Jafar Imran said that a full campaign was going on to make farmers aware of smog, adding
that cases had so far been got registered against three farmers for burning crop residues,
while a fine of Rs 200,000 had also been imposed on violators.
He said this month,139 samples of fertilizers were obtained, out of which, 9 samples were
found unfit, and an FIR had also been got registered against the accused dealers.
Addressing the meeting, ADC Headquarters Arshad Ahmed Wattoo said that special measures were being adopted by the government for agricultural reforms, through which to ensure the availability of agricultural commodities at fixed prices at the time of need and to develop agriculture on modern lines.
