Federal Minister for Food Security and Research Sikandar Hayat Bosan has said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is giving top-priority to the agriculture sector to ensure food security in the country as we can’t afford hunger, starvation and mal-nourishing.
Talking to media men here on Saturday he said that Pakistan was self-sufficient in wheat, rice, sugar and cotton but we need oil-seed to cut the imports. The Minister stressed the need for boosting up the production of sun-flower, canola and other oil-seeds. He said that Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) should play its role to evolve the new varieties of cotton, wheat and sugarcane to get maximum production. He said that our per acre yield is not better even than India. He also appreciated the role of the Italian government for supporting the people of Pakistan through different projects in the field of agriculture in particular olive-growing and production of olive oil in the country that will also improve the standard of living of rural inhabitants.
He also urged the scientists to transfer olive production technology to the farming community in their areas to increase olive production in the country to minimise foreign exchange bill. PARC will establish olive garden on 3,000 acres land out of which PARC has covered 1,500 acres land under ‘Olive Production Project’. Remaining coverage will be made in the next two years.
