FAISALABAD:Senator Nauman Wazir, Member Engineering Development Board Thursday said that comprehensive strategy was being devised to reduce harvesting losses in wheat.
He was addressing a meeting regarding the standardization of agricultural implements at the University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF).
He said the country was losing 15 percent of the wheat due to outdated thresher, combine harvesters and shortage of skilled operators. He said that strategy was being devised to address the issues at the national level. He said that Pakistan imported 10 percent of total wheat requirement this year. “If we improve the efficiency of harvesters, it will not only ensure increase in production but also save billions of rupees in foreign exchange” he said and added that standards were being set for performance of threshers and harvesters so that losses could be minimized.
He said that the students and staff of the UAF would provide guidance on harvesters at the doorsteps of farmers in March and April. He said that competitions would be held from April 15 about the thrashers and harvesters in Rahim Yar Khan. He underlined the need to conduct short courses related to harvester drivers.
UAF VC Dr. Iqrar Ahmad Khan said that 22,000 students of UAF visited the the doorsteps of farmers across the province to make them aware of modern trends in wheat sowing on the direction of Punjab government. He said that 30 new varieties of wheat had been cultivated in UAF in collaboration with Washington State University that had the potential to increase the average yield up to 60 maunds per acre.
Chairman Millat Tractor Sikandar Mustafa and Dr. Muhammad Azam Khan also spoke.