KARACHI: Describing agriculture as backbone of the country’s economy, President Dr Arif Alvi on Friday stressed for the use of modern technology to enhance agricultural productivity keeping in view the less water resources.

While addressing the Rice Exporters Award ceremony at Governor House, he said the cultivation of rice and other agricultural commodities could be enhanced through research in agriculture sector.

The awards distribution ceremony was arranged by the Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP).

The president said since Pakistani rice was well recognised the world over, the government would facilitate the rice exporters in every way.

He said despite less-resources better cultivation of crops could be ensured through effective policies and productive ways.

The president appreciated the holding of Rice Exporters Award as a good step towards further encouraging the exporters of this commodity.

He said the rice crop was a sensitive crop from seed germination till final outcome phase. The global demand of rice had been surging every year and in order to cope with the modern requirements, necessary steps must be taken, he added. The president said that the rice crop of Pakistan was of outstanding quality in 1970s and was admired around the world. He said that Pakistan faced problems in cultivation of rice owing to shortage of water.

“Research must be done in the field of mechanised farming and agronomics in order to improve the yield of rice besides converting it from water-expensive crop to low or moderate water consuming crop,” stressed the president.

He said that losses in the cultivation of rice crop must be eradicated and emphatically called for submitting a holistic proposal, categorically catering the issues of rice industry, so that improvement in crop quality could be achieved.

Published in Dawn, December 29th, 2018