October 06, 2008	Monday	Shawwal 06, 1429

LAHORE, Oct 5: Emphasising the need to enhance wheat yield in view of its growing demand, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Sunday directed the officials concerned to ensure availability of quality seeds to achieve the wheat production target in the province.

Among other projects, he asked the authorities concerned to take measures to acquire solar energy to meet shortage of electricity, increase agri-production and uninterrupted supply of power to the farmers.

He also issued instructions for operating some tubewells with solar energy as a pilot project. The chief minister, according to a handout, was presiding over a meeting on agriculture issues.

Flanked by the federal food secretary and senior provincial government officers, the chief minister said the agriculture sector uplift and increase in agri-production were a priority area and the government was taking steps for the welfare of the farmers.

Among the initiatives was provision of tractors to the farmers on subsidised rates, which would help improve the crop production. “All resources should be utilised for improving quality of wheat as well as increasing per-acre yield,” he directed the officials.

He asked the chief secretary to make arrangements for bringing Punjab’s share of about 500,000 tons of the imported wheat to the province. A team, headed by an additional secretary, should take up the responsibility.

Saying that high electricity tariff and loadshedding were major causes of decline in the agri-production, he stressed the need for promoting the use of solar energy for agriculture. He asked the chief secretary to devise a comprehensive strategy and operate some tubewells on solar energy and later expand this programme.

The chief minister said a bumper crop of rice was expected in the province this year, therefore, effective measures should be adopted for stabilising its price so that the growers could get due returns.

Earlier, Federal Food and Agriculture Secretary Ziaur Rehman gave a detailed briefing to the officials on the wheat support price, available stock in the country and its import, availability of urea and DAP fertilisers, besides other issues.

He said a campaign by the name of ‘Grow More Wheat’ would be launched next year for increasing the wheat production. He also presented comprehensive recommendations for increasing the agri-production.