SARGODHA:Chief Scientist Ayub Agricultural Research Institute Faisalabad, Muhammad Nawaz has urged the farmers to adopt modern techniques of cultivation in order to achieve optimum yield of wheat.
He was addressing the Green Kissan convention held here for the awareness of wheat growers on Tuesday.
“Wheat was cultivated on 1.7 million acres last year in Sargodha division from which 28 mounds per acre wheat average 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, agronomist ,and a number of farmers attended the convention.
Muhammad Nawaz Mekan urged the farmers to cultivate maximum area for wheat in Sargodha division as a national duty and avoid burning paddy residues where its harvesting was in progress.
He highlighted that agricultural scientists were discovering new varieties of wheat to withstand climate change so as to increase the average produce in the province.
Director Agriculture Extension Sargodha Shahid Hussain in his address said that timely cultivation of wheat on maximum area was being 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.
Director Agriculture further said that in order to increase wheat produce the Punjab government ensured supply of 9 million bags of 15 new varieties to the farmers, while a special subsidy of Rs 1200 per bag had also been provided to farmers to reduce cultivation cost per acre.
Chief Scientist Wheat Institute, Dr Javed Akhtar said, “It is necessary to achieve wheat target of 36 maunds per acre by 2030 and 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.