October 04, 2006	Wednesday	Ramazan 10, 1427

ISLAMABAD, Oct 3: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said on Tuesday the availability of adequate fertilisers would ensure better Rabi crops, improve agricultural production and productivity and augment income of the farmers.

Presiding over a high-level meeting at the Prime Minister's House to review the stock position of both phosphate and nitrogen fertiliser for the Rabi crop, the premier said the agriculture sector “is the backbone of our economy” and the government had adopted a holistic approach to increase the agricultural production.

The recent reduction in prices of DAP is a step in that direction. It has been well received by the farming community and will go a long way in boosting agricultural productivity in the country, he adds.

Mr Aziz said agriculture had a 22 per cent contribution to GDP and was a major employer in the rural areas where 67 per cent of the population lived. He said as a result of the government's initiatives, the total size of the agriculture sector now was about $30 billion. Rural poverty has declined from 39.26 per cent in 2000-01 to 28.1 per cent in 2004-05, thereby showing a decline of 11.16 percentage points.

He said the steps taken by the government for better water management, lining of water courses, supply of better seeds, fertilisers and pesticides will further accelerate agricultural growth and will help improve the living standards of the people in the rural areas.