Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Syed Fakhar Imam attended and addressed the 6th meeting of Ministers of SCO member states on agriculture issues. Minister said that under PM Imran Khan’s leadership agriculture has been given utmost importance. He said that the current government aims to transform the agriculture sector of Pakistan through mechanization and research.
Fakhar said that there are approximately 8.4 million Farms in Pakistan which will get direct subsidy through the Kisan Card Scheme launched by the PM. He said that the government wants to cut the middleman and directly benefit the end farmer. Fakhar said that the PM envisages to double the income of the farmers that contribute approximately 19 percent to the GDP of the country.
Fakhar said that Pakistan is one of the most adversely affected country in the world due to climate change. He said that the pattern of rainfall has significantly changed which has drastically affected the agriculture output of the country. He said that due to irregular rainfall two million cotton bales were destroyed in Sindh.
Minister while addressing the SCO summit on agricultural issues said that the current government has been extremely successful in thwarting the menace of locust and Covid 19. He said that the government aims to improve the on-farm water management through techniques such as sprinklers and drip irrigation system so that utilization of limited water resources can be maximized.
Fakhar urged the members to further increase cooperation and exchange in agricultural research so that Pakistan can transform their agricultural sector to the likes of the developed countries.
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