MULTAN:Secretary Agriculture South Punjab Saqib Ali Ateel asked agriculture scientists to initiate new experiments on cropping pattern and irrigation systems that can enable farmers beat the negative impact of climate change with survival against water scarcity, and promote inter-cropping to get enhanced production from low acreage.
Presiding over a meeting with scientists from agriculture research bodies and adaptive research farms here Monday, the secretary said that country needs to mould its farming systems in accordance with modern trends to meet the food requirements of a growing population. “We will have to adopt modern technology being practices elsewhere in the world.”
He said, researchers should conduct new inter-cropping experiments to get higher yield from less area.
He said that country was facing water scarcity problem adding that water availability was a challenge and scientists must find farm technology that can not only counter adverse circumstances but also deliver higher yields that not only meet domestic food requirements but also fetch foreign exchange through exports.
The first step in this direction was to improve the soil health, he said adding that the Mulching technique can not only keep the soil temperature moderate but also save crop from stress during extreme hot weather conditions.
He said, scientists hold the future of agriculture in their hands and must experiment inter-cropping of crops like wheat, cotton, sugarcane and maize and how to get maximum production of paddy on raised beds with lesser water application.
He suggested wheat and sugarcane inter-cropping experiments and added their date be properly recorded.