MULTAN:Agriculture experts urged farmers to focus on high value crops as it will not only help save foreign exchange but will bring economic change in the lives of the peasants.
Agriculture experts and assistant directors agriculture Rana Abbas and Dr Qasiar talking to reporter stated that “cotton, once again, emerged as a high value crop due to attractive prices during the season. Nowadays, the price of cotton is high in terms of profitability”. They hoped that the good price of cotton would continue to offer huge returns to farmers in future also.
About the Maize crop, they remarked that maize also became a high value crop. The farmers are earning handsome profit by cultivating maize in some specific areas of south Punjab. Now, they added some farmers are also focusing on cultivation of “Sagwan tree”. The price of Sagwan wood is nearly Rs 12,000 per cubic feet. Both experts observed that the “Sagwan” tree matured after 10 to 15 years. About medicinal plants, they told “ medicinal plants, in connection with the vision to promote high value crops, have been cultivated at an area of over 1000 Kanals in districts Multan, Khanewal and Bahawalpur.
What is a high value crop, when asked, they explained that a high value crop offered high economic returns, contrary to traditionally sown crops. About sowing of medicinal plants, Dr Qaisar added that Fennel seed (soo’nf), Kalonji, Celery (Ajwine), Spaghetti (Ispghol), Basil (Tulsi) and Linseed (Alsi) were cultivated in district Multan, Khanewal and Bahawalpur. The government is offering seeds and fertilizers, free of cost, for demonstration plants. There was immense use of these plants in manufacturing of medicines. Pakistan used to import these medicinal plants or their extracts from neighbouring country and thus it had to pay huge amounts, said Dr Qaisar.