Lahore:Punjab Agriculture Minister Syed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani on Friday said the Punjab government was taking practical steps to boost seasonal and off season cultivation of onion and tomato in Punjab.
While presiding over a meeting at the Agriculture House, here, he said that to increase production of onion and tomato the government had started pilot project worth Rs 6 billion. In this regard 33 farmer enterprise groups of 450 farmers would be formed on an area of 2500 acres to ensure availability of affordable quality vegetables to the people throughout the year, he added.
Syed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani said that modern agricultural machinery and solar system would be provided to farmers on subsidy for increasing seasonal and non-seasonal cultivation of onion and tomato. For success of the project, it was need of the hour that there should be link of farmer groups with value added industry, local businessmen and investors with international market, he said and added that World Bank would provide financial sup
port for onion and tomato seeds, nursery plants, machinery and agricultural equipment and cold storage.
Punjab Agriculture Secretary Iftikhar Ali Sahoo said that under this project, the seasonal and non-seasonal production of onions would increase by 28,500 tons, while the seasonal and non-seasonal production of tomatoes would increase by 39,000 tons. He said that under this project, farmers training programs would be conducted to attract farmers towards onion and tomato cultivation while demonstration plots would also be set up.