ISLAMABAD, May 23 (APP): Minister of State for Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage Marriyum Aurangzeb has underscored the need for better coordination between international and national institutions working for sustainable development of agriculture sector.
Addressing the national stakeholders’ dialogue on “Sustainable Rice
Production” here on Tuesday, she said the government has taken
initiatives for the development of agriculture sector.
She said though the subject has been devolved to the provinces, but
given its importance, the Prime Minister has announced a countrywide
Kissan package worth Rs341 billion for the betterment of the
farmers.
The package, she said, envisaged many interventions including
promotion of research, subsidising necessary inputs such as seeds and
fertilizers and preparing the farmers for climatic adaptabilities.
The Minister said that targeted programmes are also being initiated at
the federal and provincial levels to address the issue of
malnutrition.
She said with 44 percent of children facing stunted growth, the issue
of malnutrition is one of the biggest challenges for us.
She said that being an agrarian economy, these statistics are not
acceptable and steps are being taken to check the problem.
The Minister said that the platforms of Radio Pakistan and Pakistan
Television can also be used to create awareness amongst the
stakeholders about the significance of sustainable production of crops
such as rice.
She emphasized that the research component should be aligned with the
agriculture universities in order to effectively sort out the issues
faced by the sector.
APP/Naheed/mka
VNS Islamabad
