DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Chief Minister Mahmood Khan on Thursday termed the Chashma Right Bank Lift Canal project as of vital importance to address food security issues and challenges facing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Addressing the Kisan Convention organised by the agriculture department here, the chief minister said that he hoped that the federal government would extend its full support to the provincial government for the successful execution of the CRBLC project, while Prime Minister Imran Khan would play an important role in that respect.

He said that the project’s implementation was possible only under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Mr Mahmood said that the project’s implementation would ensure the irrigation of thousands acres of land in southern districts of the province to bring about an ‘agricultural revolution’ not only in those areas but also across the province.

Mahmood addresses Kisan Convention in DI Khan

He said that the provincial government was paying special attention to the development of the agriculture sector in line with the vision and directives of the prime minister.

“For the first time in the history of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the PTI government has increased the annual budget of agriculture sector from Rs700 million to Rs8 billion, while the additional funds of Rs5 billion have been set aside for the sector. This is in addition to the investment of billions of rupees by the federal government,” he said.

The chief minister said that his government was also working under a well-devised strategy for the development of command areas of dams.

He said that only 14 watercourses were built in the province before the formation of his government, while the construction of 140 watercourses had taken place since he assumed the charge of his office three years ago.

Mr Mahmood said that work on 80 watercourses was in progress.

He said that overall, 400 watercourses would be completed in the next two years, which would irrigate 196,000 acres of land and bring about a ‘revolution’ in the agriculture sector of the province.

The chief minister said that the government had also focused its attention on the promotion of dairy farming and trout farming in the province.

He said before his government came into being, the agriculture department had 25th position in the list of the departments regarding performance, but the department currently topped the list due to the unprecedented initiatives of the government.

Published in Dawn, September 24th, 2021