AS wheat production is decreasing in the country, there is a need for an awareness campaign among the farmers about the gravity of the issue to encourage them to do more and better in terms of cultivation of the crop to meet the increasing demands of the country’s large population. As agriculture is the backbone of our economy, it is our prime responsibility to boost this sector.

Punjab provides 76 per cent of the total wheat production of the country. Across five major districts of Punjab, students of the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, are serving the farmers with the assistance of district and tehsil officers of the Agriculture Department.

The students, who are the residents of Chichawatni, are working in the fields and campaigning in the rural areas as this city has a mostly agrarian community. Having interacted with the area farmers, we came to know about the agricultural practices.

The major problem regarding our cultivable land is the high soil pH value. For this purpose, soil testing laboratories must be available at tehsil level so that the farmers may get their soil samples checked within an appropriate timeframe because the pH level has gone so high that the soil is almost unsuitable for increase in production.

Better yield percentage is expected of the ongoing campaign by the students. If the farmers follow the instructions given to them by the young agrarians, they would get a lot out of the same soil. The farmers should pay heed to this issue for their own sake and for the benefit of the country.

Seemab Kausar
Chichawatni

Published in Dawn, December 6th, 2021